MedChemComm
1.0 Scope and Standards
Medicinal Chemistry Communications (MedChemComm) is a monthly, peer-reviewed journal for the publication of original research articles and reviews in medicinal chemistry research.
Main research areas include:
- Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chemical or biochemical entities leading to new pharmacological agents, probes and/or potential drugs
- Computational, biophysical, physicochemical, molecular biological, proteomic studies of chemical or biochemical entities and their interaction with their biological environment
- Pharmacokinetic behaviour, pharmacodynamics, and drug safety and toxicology
- Chemical biology studies that enable drug discovery
- Chemical modifications of known chemical or biochemical entities that improve pharmacological properties
Research articles published in MedChemComm should report new work which makes a significant impact within the scope of the journal. In all cases the research should represent an important advance in the knowledge or understanding of the field. Authors are encouraged to state in their manuscript where the novelty in the study lies. Routine or incremental work, however competently research and reported, is generally not suitable for publication in MedChemComm.
Authors should note that papers that mainly emphasise novel organic synthetic routes or are directed more towards an organic audience may be more suited for submission to Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, and work focussing on the chemical interface with the -omic sciences and systems biology to Molecular BioSystems.
2.0 Article types
2.1 Concise Articles
MedChemComm publishes all original research work in one "Concise Article" format. While there is no formal page limit, authors are strongly encouraged to report their work in a succinct way, although scholarly discussion of results is expected. Lengthy introductions, extensive data and excessive experimental details and conjecture should not be included in the main text in order to maintain an easy-to-read format. Authors are encouraged to include a short (up to 2 journal page) experimental section - containing key and representative experimental procedures - in the main text. Additional procedures and characterisation data should be included in the Supplementary Information.
It is mandatory to justify and/or reference claims regarding health impairments or toxic consequences and indicate adherence to funding body and country specific guidelines regarding animal welfare; as stated in the Royal Society of Chemistry ethical guidelines on human and animal welfare.
Authors are encouraged to use the available RSC article and chemical structure templates.
2.2 Reviews
MedChemComm Reviews are easy-to-read articles covering current areas of interest for a medicinal chemistry audience. They are a concise and critical appraisal of an area in medicinal chemistry or a related topic. Also welcome are reviews which focus on topics outside of traditional medicinal chemistry but which have application in medicinal chemistry, particularly new technologies (e.g. nanotechnology). Reviews should focus on the key developments that have shaped the topic, rather than comprehensive reviews of the literature. Since the readership of MedChemComm is wide-ranging, the article should be accessible to a non-specialist in the field. At the same time, they should provide an authoritative discussion of the area concerned. Authors are encouraged to include their own perspective on developments, trends and future directions, particularly identifying areas where further developments are imminent or that are in urgent need of being addressed. Please note that Reviews should include balanced coverage of the field and not focus predominantly on the author's own research.
Shorter "commentary" or "opinion" style articles, which focus on a particular issue of importance to the community, are also welcome. If you are interested in writing a Review of this type please contact the Editorial office or an Associate Editor. To aid judgement of the suitability of a proposed review for the journal, authors may be asked to submit a synopsis. The aim is not to provide an extra burden for the author, but to ensure the article will appeal to the journal's intended readership. Acceptance of the synopsis by the Associate Editor does not guarantee publication of the final manuscript. Synopses should include:
- A paragraph explaining the current importance of the field, its implications for the wider scientific community, and the communities of readers who will find the article of interest
- A structured outline of the review, giving section headings and expanding on each of these
- A selection of representative references to indicate its breadth and timeliness
All reviews undergo a rigorous and full peer-review procedure, in the same way as regular research articles.
3.0 Experimental details and data guidelines
Sufficient details of experimental or computational procedures should be included such that a scientist skilled in the art would be able to reproduce the results presented. The synthesis of all new compounds must be described in detail. Extensive experimental procedures and data (more than two journal pages) should be placed in a supplementary information file.
3.1 Organic compounds
Synthetic procedures must include the specific reagents, products and solvents and must give the amounts (g, mmol, for products: %) for all of them, as well as clearly stating how the percentage yields are calculated. The final physical state (solid; amorphous; liquid; solution) should be disclosed. Where compounds are synthesised as part of an array or library a representative synthesis will be sufficient. Characterisation levels should be consistent with the importance of the structure to the conclusion of the work:
- For key compounds, data should include 1H NMR data backed up with LC-MS data with a minimum purity criteria of 95%. Additional data such as 13C NMR, CHN data and HRMS data should be supplied if available.
- For chiral compounds, evidence of enantiomeric purity via chiral HPLC or derivatisation to diastereoisomeric compounds/use of chiral shift reagents should be given.
- For compounds made as part of an array, LC-MS data is sufficient providing that full data is made available for key compounds.
- For compounds generated through combinatorial methods, lead compounds should be characterised to the same standards as compounds generated through standard synthetic procedures.
- For known compounds, an original reference should be cited.
3.2 Biomolecules (e.g. enzymes, peptides, proteins, DNA/RNA, oligosaccharides, oligonucleotides)
Authors should provide rigorous evidence for the identity and purity of the biomolecules described. The techniques that may be employed to substantiate identity include mass spectrometry, LC-MS, sequencing data (for proteins and oligonucleotides), high field 1H or 13C NMR and X-ray crystallography. Purity must be established by one or more of the following: HPLC, gel electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, or high field 1H or 13C NMR. Sequence verification should also be provided for nucleic acid cases involving molecular biology. For organic synthesis involving DNA, RNA oligonucleotides, their derivatives or mimics, purity must be established using HPLC and mass spectrometry as a minimum. For new derivatives comprising modified monomers, the usual organic chemistry analytical requirements for the novel monomer must be provided. It is not however necessary to provide this level of characterisation for the oligonucleotide into which the novel monomer is incorporated.
3.3 Biological data
Doses and concentrations should be expressed as molar quantities (e.g., mol kg-1, µmol kg-1, M, mM). Forms of administration as well as physical states and formulations should be noted. For those compounds found to be inactive, the highest concentration (in vitro) or dose level (in vivo) tested should be indicated. Quantitative biological data are required for all test compounds. Biological test methods should be described in sufficient detail such that a scientist skilled in the art would be able to reproduce the results presented. Known or standard compounds or drugs should be tested under the same experimental conditions for the purpose of comparison. Data may be presented tabulated or as graphs; extensive data for compounds is best presented in tabulated within the Electronic Supplementary information. Active compounds from combinatorial syntheses should be re-synthesised and retested to verify biological activity. Variability and reliability of data presented must be given (mean ±SEM values of independent measurements). It is expected that all tested compounds would be 95% pure and shown to be so using standard methods.
3.4 Disclosure of chemical structures
Chemical structures should be reported in the manuscript if that structure is necessary to understand the paper or repeat an experimental or computational procedure. Chemical structures should not be blanked out. In certain cases the non-disclosure of chemical structures may be acceptable, and these are considered on a case-by-case basis by the Associate Editor.