Abstract
The affiliation of the OTS and the Journal can be traced back to the mid 1990s. Art Krieg, founding member of the OTS, was editor-in-chief of the Journal from 1991 to 2005. In 2003 the name was changed from Antisense and Drug Development to Oligonucleotides. Founding member and past OTS president John Rossi took over responsibility for the Journal in 2006. With the new challenges and dynamic development in the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics, recently Fintan Steele was appointed executive editor. The OTS is pleased that the ambitious goals of the Society and the Journal are now supported by an experienced professional full-time editor, and we are convinced that this is an important step toward future leadership in this promising field of nucleic acid drug development.
The OTS and academia continue to be well represented by Co-Editors-in-Chief Bruce Sullenger and Cy Stein, and numerous additional OTS members on the Editorial Board. The OTS is highly committed to Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, and jointly with Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., and the new executive editor shares the vision of moving this journal to become the prime place for publishing leading articles in all fields of nucleic acid research toward novel therapeutics.
The new name, Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, was selected to open the Journal to scientific contributions beyond oligonucleotides. With this new name the Journal appreciates the fact that numerous nucleic acid molecules are being developed, both synthetic and biological, which due to structural characteristics such as length do not fall under the definition of oligonucleotides but still are promising drug candidates. There is no other journal worldwide with an editorial board that combines this expertise, reputation, and dedication to the scientific field of oligonucleotides and other nucleic acid therapeutics outside gene therapy. Board members of the OTS will contribute at least two articles or perspectives in each issue of the Journal. The articles will cover different topics of nucleic acid therapeutics and provide up-to-date insights. Along with these articles, the OTS established a web-based network of experts for follow-up questions and discussion. Scientific topics will include oligonucleotide chemistry, siRNA, microRNA, antisense DNA and LNA, splice site correction, aptamers, immunostimulation, and clinical development. We are all very excited to move Nucleic Acid Therapeutics into a successful future and expect the impact factor to increase over the coming years.
With this guest editorial, I also send a warm welcome to all of you interested in oligonucleotides as an exciting field of research with the promise of innovative therapeutics. I invite you to join our vision and to become a member of the OTS. The OTS was founded in 2001 in a small, secluded castle in Tuscany, Italy by an international group of renowned oligonucleotide scientists. The idea of the founders was to bring together the expertise from different angles of oligonucleotide research to create synergies and to move the field of oligonucleotides to its full therapeutic potential. A new era of oligonucleotide drugs is envisioned that will change the landscape of therapeutic modalities very much like the impact that antibodies had on human therapeutics over the last decade.
Therapeutic oligonucleotides include a wide spectrum of molecules with different chemistries and functional properties such as antisense, RNA interference, immunorecognition, and aptamer binding. While the idea of antisense oligonucleotides to specifically target single genes dates back to the 1970s, one of the most fascinating insights of recent years was that nature itself uses endogenous oligonucleotides for the regulation of gene function and control of cellular homeostasis on a large scale. Thus, like antibodies, oligonucleotides can be regarded as natural compounds that act through natural mechanisms.
The nucleic acid chemist Fritz Eckstein, cofounder of the OTS, originally developed the phosphorothioate modification, a critical feature of most oligonucleotide applications of today; furthermore, he developed the chemistry of triphosphorylated RNA, which is essential for activating protective cellular immune pathways via retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-1). Fritz's scientific contributions over the years are a great example of how oligonucleotide chemistry can impact biology and medicine. The great advances in nucleic acid chemistry now allow us to make not only large quantities, but also a large variety of molecules with distinctly unique and desirable properties. Together with changes of sequence and oligonucleotide design, the chemical space available for oligonucleotide development is enormous. Now, with our recent insight into how nature uses oligonucleotides for the regulation of cellular functions and defense mechanisms, the therapeutic application of this class of molecules becomes much more straightforward. Consequently, the OTS covers therapeutic oligonucleotide development from research of basic principles to preclinical models and through clinical application. The highly regarded annual OTS meeting draws experts from all over the world for cross-disciplinary exchange spanning expertise in chemistry and delivery to biology, immunology, and clinical medicine. It is the intense scientific exchange between attendees during our annual meetings that set the stage for groundbreaking new ideas. The seventh annual OTS meeting was held in September 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The eighth annual meeting in 2012 will be held in Boston, MA (www.oligotherapeutics.org). The OTS will have alternating annual meetings in the United States and in Europe/Asia.
The OTS is a lively and rapidly growing society which not only connects different academic disciplines, but also forms a fruitful bridge to oligonucleotide companies and industry. It is one of the strengths of the OTS to enjoy full academic independence from commercial interests, which is made possible through our generous sponsors who support the OTS and the annual meetings without restrictions. Finally, I want to emphasize that he OTS is the one society in the world that addresses therapeutic oligonucleotide development across all relevant areas and aspects. As current president of this society I promise that you will enjoy following and participating in the spirit of the OTS over the coming years toward new scientific insights and new treatments. We are working hard in many different ways to further increase the visibility and significance of the OTS on oligonucleotide research and we hope you will continue supporting our cause, and our journal, and join us in this endeavor.