The Current Opinion journals were developed out of the recognition that it is increasingly difficult for specialists to keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in their subject. Elsevier’s Current Opinion journals comprise of 13 leading titles in life sciences and adjacent fields.

Current Opinion in Chemical Biology

IMPACT FACTOR: 9.312
5-Year Impact Factor: 9.185
Issues per year: 6 issues
Editorial Board

Current Opinion in Chemical Biology

The Current Opinion journals were developed out of the recognition that it is increasingly difficult for specialists to keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in their subject. In Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, we help the reader by providing in a systematic manner:
1. The views of experts on current advances in chemical biology in a clear and readable form.
2. Evaluations of the most interesting papers, annotated by experts, from the great wealth of original publications

Division of the subject into sections
The subject of chemical biology is divided into themed sections which are reviewed regularly to keep them relevant. For 2012 they are:• Omics • Bioinorganic chemistry • Biocatalysis and Biotransformation • Synthetic Biology • Analytical techniques • Molecular Imaging • Aesthetics • Mechanisms

Selection of topics to be reviewed
Section Editors, who are major authorities in the field, are appointed by the Editors of the journal. They divide their section into a number of topics, ensuring that the field is comprehensively covered and that all issues of current importance are emphasised. Section Editors commission reviews from authorities on each topic that they have selected.

Reviews
Authors write short review articles in which they present recent developments in their subject, emphasising the aspects that, in their opinion, are most important. In addition, they provide short annotations to the papers that they consider to be most interesting from all those published in their topic over the previous year.

Editorial Overview
Section Editors write a short overview at the beginning of the section to introduce the reviews and to draw the reader's attention to any particularly interesting developments.
This successful format has made Current Opinion in Chemical Biology one of the most highly regarded and highly cited review journals in the field (Impact factor = 8.295)

Ethics in Publishing: General Statement

The Editor(s) and Publisher of this Journal believe that there are fundamental principles underlying scholarly or professional publishing. While this may not amount to a formal 'code of conduct', these fundamental principles with respect to the authors' paper are that the paper should: i) be the authors' own original work, which has not been previously published elsewhere, ii) reflect the authors' own research and analysis and do so in a truthful and complete manner, iii) properly credit the meaningful contributions of co-authors and co-researchers, iv) not be submitted to more than one journal for consideration, and v) be appropriately placed in the context of prior and existing research. Of equal importance are ethical guidelines dealing with research methods and research funding, including issues dealing with informed consent, research subject privacy rights, conflicts of interest, and sources of funding. While it may not be possible to draft a 'code' that applies adequately to all instances and circumstances, we believe it useful to outline our expectations of authors and procedures that the Journal will employ in the event of questions concerning author conduct. With respect to conflicts of interest, the Publisher now requires authors to declare any conflicts of interest that relate to papers accepted for publication in this Journal. A conflict of interest may exist when an author or the author's institution has a financial or other relationship with other people or organizations that may inappropriately influence the author's work. A conflict can be actual or potential and full disclosure to the Journal is the safest course. All submissions to the Journal must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. The Journal may use such information as a basis for editorial decisions and may publish such disclosures if they are believed to be important to readers in judging the manuscript. A decision may be made by the Journal not to publish on the basis of the declared conflict.

For more information, please refer to: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/conflictsofinterest

Best Cited over the last year.

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New trends for metal complexes with anticancer activity

Medicinal inorganic chemistry can exploit the unique properties of metal ions for the design of new drugs. This has, for instance, led to the clinical application of chemotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment, such as cisplatin. The use of cisplatin is, however, severely limited by its toxic side-effects. This has spurred chemists to employ different strategies in the development of new metal-based anticancer agents with different mechanisms of action. Recent trends in the field are discussed…

Volume 12, Issue 2, 01 April 2008, Pp 197-206
Bruijnincx, P.C. | Sadler, P.J.

Mass spectrometry for proteomics

Mass spectrometry has been widely used to analyze biological samples and has evolved into an indispensable tool for proteomics research. Our desire to understand the proteome has led to new technologies that push the boundary of mass spectrometry capabilities, which in return has allowed mass spectrometry to address an ever-increasing array of biological questions. The recent development of a novel mass spectrometer (Orbitrap) and new dissociation methods such as electron-transfer dissociation…

Volume 12, Issue 5, 01 October 2008, Pp 483-490
Han, X. | Aslanian, A. | Yates III, J.R.

Metals in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases

There has been steadily growing interest in the participation of metal ions (especially, zinc, copper, and iron) in neurobiological processes, such as the regulation of synaptic transmission. Recent descriptions of the release of zinc and copper in the cortical glutamatergic synpase, and influencing the response of the NMDA receptor underscore the relevance of understanding the inorganic milieu of the synapse to neuroscience. Additionally, major neurodegenerative disorders, including…

Volume 12, Issue 2, 01 April 2008, Pp 222-228
Barnham, K.J. | Bush, A.I.

Mechanistic insights into glycosidase chemistry

The enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycosidic bond continues to gain importance, reflecting the critically important roles complex glycans play in health and disease as well as the rekindled interest in enzymatic biomass conversion. Recent advances include the broadening of our understanding of enzyme reaction coordinates, through both computational and structural studies, improved understanding of enzyme inhibition through transition state mimicry and fascinating insights into mechanism yielded…

Volume 12, Issue 5, 01 October 2008, Pp 539-555
Vocadlo, D.J. | Davies, G.J.

The impact of natural products upon modern drug discovery

In the period 1970-2006, a total of 24 unique natural products were discovered that led to an approved drug. We analyze these successful leads in terms of drug-like properties, and show that they can be divided into two equal subsets. The first falls in the 'Lipinski universe' and complies with the Rule of Five. The second is a 'parallel universe' that violates the rules. Nevertheless, the latter compounds remain largely compliant in terms of log P and H-bond donors, highlighting the importance…

Volume 12, Issue 3, 01 June 2008, Pp 306-317
Ganesan, A.

Dynamic kinetic resolution catalyzed by enzymes and metals

The development of new strategies to efficiently synthesize chiral compounds is of extreme importance. Dynamic kinetic resolution is a powerful tool to transform a racemic mixture into one enantiomer. This strategy overcomes the limitation of the maximum 50% yield in a kinetic resolution by combining it with an in situ racemization of the substrate. Recently, the coupling of enzymes and transition metals for dynamic kinetic resolution of a variety of molecules has attracted considerable…

Volume 11, Issue 2, 01 April 2007, Pp 226-232
Martín-Matute, B. | Bäckvall, J.-E.

MALDI-MS-based imaging of small molecules and proteins in tissues

The direct analysis of tissues using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) enables both endogenous and exogenous compounds present in tissues to be detected with molecular specificity while maintaining their spatial orientation. This unique combination, coupled with excellent sensitivity and rapid analysis time, presents many potential advantages to a wide range of applications in diverse biological fields. Recent advances have shown how the technique can be…

Volume 11, Issue 1, 01 February 2007, Pp 29-35
Reyzer, M.L. | Caprioli, R.M.

Model membrane systems and their applications

The complexity of biological membranes has motivated the development of a wide variety of simpler model systems whose size, geometry, and composition can be tailored with great precision. Approaches highlighted in this review are illustrated in Figure 1 including vesicles, supported bilayers, and hybrid membrane systems. These have been used to study problems ranging from phase behavior to membrane fusion. Experimental membrane models continue to advance in complexity with respect to…

Volume 11, Issue 6, 01 December 2007, Pp 581-587
Chan, Y.-H.M. | Boxer, S.G.

G-quadruplex nucleic acids as therapeutic targets

Nucleic acid sequences containing several short runs of guanine nucleotides can form complex higher order structures, termed quadruplexes. Their occurrence has been most extensively characterised at the telomeric ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, whose DNA comprises such sequences, and where the extreme 3′ ends are single-stranded. This enables relatively facile formation of quadruplex arrangements under the influence of a quadruplex-selective small molecule to compete effectively with telomeric…

Volume 13, Issue 3, 01 June 2009, Pp 345-353
Balasubramanian, S. | Neidle, S.

Discovering mechanisms of signaling-mediated cysteine oxidation

Accumulating evidence reveals hydrogen peroxide as a key player both as a damaging agent and, from emerging evidence over the past decade, as a second messenger in intracellular signaling. This rather mild oxidant acts upon downstream targets within signaling cascades to modulate the activity of a host of enzymes (e.g. phosphatases and kinases) and transcriptional regulators through chemoselective oxidation of cysteine residues. With the recent development of specific detection reagents for…

Volume 12, Issue 1, 01 February 2008, Pp 18-24
Poole, L.B. | Nelson, K.J.

The Sirtuin family: therapeutic targets to treat diseases of aging

Sirtuins have emerged as therapeutic targets to treat age-related diseases. There are seven human Sirtuins (SIRT1-7) that display diversity in cellular localization and function. Growing evidence suggests that small-molecule activators of SIRT1 may counteract age-related afflictions such as type 2 diabetes. Alternatively, inhibitors of SIRT2 may be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Recent discoveries of small-molecule and protein modulators of…

Volume 12, Issue 1, 01 February 2008, Pp 11-17
Milne, J.C. | Denu, J.M.

QM/MM studies of enzymes

Combined quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics (QM/MM) methods are making rapid progress both methodologically and with respect to their range of application. Mechanistic studies on enzymes, including contributions towards the understanding of enzyme catalysis, continue to be a major target. They are joined by calculations of pKa values, redox properties, ground- and excited-state spectroscopic parameters, and excited-state dynamics. Methodological advances include improved QM/MM schemes, in…

Volume 11, Issue 2, 01 April 2007, Pp 182-187
Senn, H.M. | Thiel, W.

Advances in laboratory evolution of enzymes

We address recent developments in the area of laboratory, or directed evolution, with a focus on enzymes and on new methodologies of generic potential. We survey three main areas: (i) library making techniques, including the application of computational and rational methods for library design; (ii) screening and selection techniques, including recent applications of enzyme screening by FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorter); (iii) new approaches for performing directed evolution, and in…

Volume 12, Issue 2, 01 April 2008, Pp 151-158
Bershtein, S. | Tawfik, D.S.

Virtual screening strategies in drug discovery

The identification of novel therapeutic targets and characterization of their 3D structures is increasing at a dramatic rate. Computational screening methods continue to be developed and improved as credible and complementary alternatives to high-throughput biochemical compound screening (HTS). While the majority of drug candidates currently being developed have been found using HTS methods, high-throughput docking and pharmacophore-based searching algorithms are gaining acceptance and becoming…

Volume 11, Issue 5, 01 October 2007, Pp 494-502
McInnes, C.

Tagging and detection strategies for activity-based proteomics

The field of activity-based proteomics is a relatively new discipline that makes use of small molecules, termed activity-based probes (ABPs), to tag and monitor distinct sets of proteins within a complex proteome. These activity-dependant labels facilitate analysis of systems-wide changes at the level of enzyme activity rather than simple protein abundance. While the use of small molecule inhibitors to label enzyme targets is not a new concept, the past ten years have seen a rapid expansion in…

Volume 11, Issue 1, 01 February 2007, Pp 20-28
Sadaghiani, A.M. | Verhelst, S.H. | Bogyo, M.

Near-infrared fluorescence: application to in vivo molecular imaging

Molecular imaging often relies on the use of targeted and activatable reporters to quantitate and visualize targets, biological processes, and cells in vivo. The use of optical probes with near-infrared fluorescence allows for improved photon penetration through tissue and minimizes the effects of tissue autofluorescence. There are several parameters that define the effectiveness of imaging agents in vivo. These factors include probe targeting, activation, pharmacokinetics, biocompatibility,…

Volume 14, Issue 1, 01 February 2010, Pp 71-79
Hilderbrand, S.A. | Weissleder, R.

Stability of biocatalysts

Despite their many favorable qualities, the marginal stability of biocatalysts in many types of reaction media often has prevented or delayed their implementation for industrial-scale synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Consequently, there is great interest in understanding effects of solution conditions on protein stability, as well as in developing strategies to improve protein stability in desired reaction media. Recent methods include novel chemical modifications of protein,…

Volume 11, Issue 2, 01 April 2007, Pp 220-225
Polizzi, K.M. | Bommarius, A.S. | Broering, J.M. | Chaparro-Riggers, J.F.

Deciphering the glycocode: the complexity and analytical challenge of glycomics

Carbohydrates coat most types of cell in nature and are intimately involved in various biological events, including cell differentiation, homing to specific tissues, cell adhesion, cell recognition, microbial pathogenesis and immunological recognition. Carbohydrate structures are complex to analyze owing to their branched nature, the diversity of secondary modifications of monomers, their indirect relationship to the genome and the range of molecular contexts in which the modifications are…

Volume 11, Issue 3, 01 June 2007, Pp 300-305
Pilobello, K.T. | Mahal, L.K.

Chemotherapy of schistosomiasis: present and future

Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease in tropical and subtropical regions and is associated with a variety of clinical syndromes that may lead to severe morbidity. Over the past 25 years, therapy and control of schistosomiasis has come to rely heavily on one drug, praziquantel (PZQ). This reliance is of concern should widespread treatment failure arise, particularly as measures are being undertaken to increase PZQ's availability. This review summarizes the use, possible modes of action…

Volume 11, Issue 4, 01 August 2007, Pp 433-439
Caffrey, C.R.

Glycan arrays: biological and medical applications

Carbohydrates and their conjugates are involved in various biological events, including viral and bacterial infection, the immune response, differentiation and development, and the progression of tumor cell metastasis. Glycan arrays are a new technology that has enabled the high-sensitivity and rapid analysis carbohydrate-protein interaction and contribute to significant advances in glycomics. Glycan arrays use a minute amount of materials and can be used for high-throughput profiling and…

Volume 12, Issue 1, 01 February 2008, Pp 86-92
Liang, P.-H. | Wu, C.-Y. | Greenberg, W.A. | Wong, C.-H.

Biological applications of X-ray fluorescence microscopy: exploring the subcellular topography and speciation of transition metals

Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SXRF) is a microanalytical technique for the quantitative mapping of elemental distributions. Among currently available imaging modalities, SXRF is the only technique that is compatible with fully hydrated biological samples such as whole cells or tissue sections, while simultaneously offering trace element sensitivity and submicron spatial resolution. Combined with the ability to provide information regarding the oxidation state and coordination…

Volume 11, Issue 2, 01 April 2007, Pp 121-127
Fahrni, C.J.

Privileged scaffolds for library design and drug discovery

This review explores the concept of using privileged scaffolds to identify biologically active compounds through building chemical libraries. We hope to accomplish three main objectives: to provide one of the most comprehensive listings of privileged scaffolds; to reveal through four selected examples the present state of the art in privileged scaffold library synthesis (in hopes of inspiring new and even more creative approaches); and also to offer some thoughts on how new privileged scaffolds…

Volume 14, Issue 3, 01 June 2010, Pp 347-361
Welsch, M.E. | Snyder, S.A. | Stockwell, B.R.

Asymmetric bioreduction of activated C=C bonds using enoate reductases from the old yellow enzyme family

The asymmetric bioreduction of alkenes bearing an electron-withdrawing group using flavin-dependent enzymes from the 'old yellow enzyme' family at the expense of NAD(P)H yields the corresponding non-racemic alkanes going in hand with the creation of up to two chiral carbon centres. To avoid external cofactor recycling, this intriguing biotransformation was hitherto performed using whole microbial cells, which frequently showed insufficient stereoselectivities and/or undesired side reactions…

Volume 11, Issue 2, 01 April 2007, Pp 203-213
Stuermer, R. | Hauer, B. | Hall, M. | Faber, K.

Directed enzyme evolution: climbing fitness peaks one amino acid at a time

Directed evolution can generate a remarkable range of new enzyme properties. Alternate substrate specificities and reaction selectivities are readily accessible in enzymes from families that are naturally functionally diverse. Activities on new substrates can be obtained by improving variants with broadened specificities or by step-wise evolution through a sequence of more and more challenging substrates. Evolution of highly specific enzymes has been demonstrated, even with positive selection…

Volume 13, Issue 1, 01 February 2009, Pp 3-9
Tracewell, C.A. | Arnold, F.H.

Fluorescent biosensors of protein function

Fluorescent biosensors allow researchers to image and quantify protein activity and small molecule signals in living cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. Genetically encoded sensors are coded by a DNA sequence and hence constructed entirely out of amino acids. These biosensors typically utilize light-emitting proteins, such as derivatives of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), and have been developed for a wide range of small molecules and enzyme activities. Fluorescent biosensors…

Volume 12, Issue 1, 01 February 2008, Pp 60-65
VanEngelenburg, S.B. | Palmer, A.E.