SLAS Discovery-What's in a Name?

Abstract

Some of the more detail-oriented readers may have noticed something different on the cover of this issue of SLAS Discovery, that is, a change of the tagline. A tagline is akin to a subtitle but intended to be a short phrase that briefly captures the focus of the journal. When this journal was rebranded from Journal of Biomolecular Sciences (JBS) to SLAS Discovery, the tagline changed from “Advancing the Science of Drug Discovery” to “Advancing Life Sciences R&D.” While the new tagline was intended to be more inclusive, it perhaps caused some confusion, that is, was SLAS Discovery no longer focused on drug discovery? In 2019, based upon careful review by the SLAS Discovery Editorial Board and the new Knowledge Content & Delivery Council (KCDC), as well as a survey of past contributors to SLAS Discovery, it was decided to change the tagline back to its original version. SLAS Discovery is a key source for articles on finding chemical and biological tools, innovation in target validation, and novel assay methods to help advance drug discovery. To encompass these related drug discovery fields, the tagline for SLAS Discovery has reverted back to “Advancing the Science of Drug Discovery.” To understand the evolution of the journal and its title, tagline, and scope, a brief historical review may be helpful to put this all into context. In the early days of the Society for Biomolecular Sciences (SBS), the JBS was the “go to” place to publish novel high-throughput screening assay methods and techniques. This started in 1996 when the first issue of JBS was published. Over time, SBS and JBS thrived and grew. Screening methods continued to advance along with the science of drug discovery. In its infancy, screening was centered on two basic areas: technology (largely automation, and information technology) and quantification (assay analysis, statistics, reproducibility). Eventually, many of the screening processes became routine, but in many cases the data handling became much more challenging. In response, novel analytical techniques were created to manage this large and more complicated screen output. Computational tools were developed to visualize large data sets, enable virtual screening, and perform automated assay design optimization. The mentality of screening, that is, the application of well-structured assay design, automation, and assay development to allow rigorous quantification of biological processes, was then applied to other drug discovery functions, such as ADME/Tox, biomarker discovery, and diagnostics. As the methods and approaches matured, so did the published content of the JBS. After two decades of publishing, it became clear that the scope of JBS had changed. JBS was no longer just about higher-and-higher-throughput screening but had evolved to encompass all aspects of complex assay cascades (low- and medium-throughput; smarter, more efficient, and/or higher-content screening; target validation), the ingenious application of novel assay methods, and quantitative biology, and to elucidate mechanisms of action. The journal began to incorporate these newer aspects along with formal reviews on new drug discovery challenges and special issues on target biology. The latter change was instituted as it became clear that inadequate fundamental target knowledge led to screens being conducted that were not relevant to the physiological state and/or mechanism of action required to produce the desired biological consequence. Along the way (circa 2010), the Association of Laboratory Automation (ALA) and the SBS merged to form a more integrated and cohesive global organization—the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS). By 2016, it was clear that new names for the journals representing the combined organization were required to reflect the new scope and unity of SLAS. In 2017, the Journal of Laboratory Automation became SLAS Technology, and the Journal of Biomolecular Screening was renamed SLAS Discovery. The names have changed from SBS and ALA to SLAS, from JALA to SLAS Technology, and from JBS to SLAS Discovery. The journal content has broadened and the taglines have changed as well. So, what’s in a name? From this editor’s perspective, it is about identity and relevance. The community has made immense progress in drug discovery, thanks at least in part to the immense contributions of SLAS members. At SLAS Discovery, we will continue to encourage change and innovation. We started as a “society of screeners” and have since applied and shared our learnings on rigor and depth of thinking to impact the broader success of drug discovery. SLAS Discovery will continue to embrace screening as a fundamental component of its content, but it has evolved to be so much more—to truly advance the science of drug discovery! Please see our scope statement for more detail: journals.sagepub.com/aims-scope/JBX. If you have any concerns or further suggestions for change, please feel free to contact me at EditorCampbell@slas.org.