ChemComm is publishing its 60th volume in 2024. Over the past 60 years, ChemComm has been the RSC’s most cited journal, and one of the most trusted venues for rapid publication of short communications. In our anniversary year, we recognise the important contributions ChemComm has made, and continues to make, in advancing the chemical sciences.
As part of our anniversary celebrations, we’ve brought together a collection featuring the latest research from some of our most loyal and dedicated authors. From those marking the beginning of their independent academic career by publishing their first article with us, to the rising stars and established leaders publishing in our yearly ‘Emerging Investigators’ and ‘Pioneering Investigators’ collections, this collection champions the contributions of our worldwide author community. We are proud many authors choose to support our journal by regularly publishing their best work with us. This collection also features papers from our ChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship winners, and our Outstanding Reviewer awardees, whose invaluable feedback has shaped our published content through the years.
To accompany the collection, we’ll be publishing interviews with contributing authors where they provide further insight into their research and reflect on their journey with ChemComm.
Check out our interview with Vandana Bhalla (Guru Nanak Dev University, India) below!
 |
Vandana Bhalla obtained her PhD from Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar in 1998. She is currently working as a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Her area of research includes the development of supramolecular functional materials, catalysis, and photocatalysis. She has published around 215 research papers in international journals and has received a number of prizes including the Thomson Reuters Research Excellence India Citation Award 2015, the Prof S. S. Sandhu Endowment Award 2017, and the AV Rama Rao prize for women in Chemical Sciences. |
How have you seen ChemComm evolve over the years, and what aspects do you find most noteworthy?
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to witness the rise of ChemComm as a flagship journal of RSC. Over the years, the scope of the journal has widened and emerging/promising research topics in general chemistry have been included which significantly increased the readership of ChemComm. As an author, ChemComm is my preferred journal for publication of exciting research outcomes. I am particularly impressed by the fast and rigorous peer review process which ensures publication of only high impact communications/feature articles in ChemComm.
What is your favourite thing about ChemComm?
As a regular reader of ChemComm, my favourite thing about the journal is that besides stimulating advanced results of an investigation, one also come across upcoming research areas through its feature articles.
In what ways do you think ChemComm stands out among other journals in your field?
ChemComm reports outstanding preliminary research outcomes in diverse fields of general chemistry, thus, its readership is broad. Consequently, ChemComm is an author’s favourite platform to share their latest research output. Additionally, the rapid and thorough peer review process of ChemComm ensures publication of only high impact communications/feature articles. Overall, all these factors have contributed towards making ChemComm stand out among other journals in the field.
How would you describe the peer review process and interaction with the editorial team at ChemComm?
Peer review process is rapid, fair and rigorous which ensures high standard of the published articles.
The editorial team of ChemComm is very accessible. As an author, I found them to be cooperative and eager to provide any assistance related to publication of the manuscript.
Are there ways in which the journal can further support and engage with future generations of scientists?
ChemComm is already making significant efforts to engage future generations.
My suggestion is, if possible, the journal may interact directly with research scholars by organising poster/interactive sessions.
Further, ChemComm may extend its support to underrepresented scientists e.g. women researchers, researchers working in small universities/institutions and researchers from underdeveloped countries, by highlighting/promoting their research positively at its social networking platforms.
Could you provide a brief summary of your recent ChemComm publication?
Due to its minimum invasiveness and high efficiency in inhibiting tumour growth, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has received significant attention among different approaches for treatment of cancer. Precise accumulation of photosensitizers in specific organelle triggers organelle-mediated cell death, which greatly enhances the effectiveness of PDT by reducing the drug dosage, minimizing toxicity, and preventing recurrence. In this article, we have summarized the recent advances and discussed examples of representative photosensitizers employed in targeted photodynamic therapy. Further, design concepts for the preparation of specific organelle-targeted photosensitizers have been outlined, which will be beneficial for the future designing of organelle-targeted therapeutic agents
In your opinion, what are the next steps or potential areas of research that could build upon the findings in this paper?
The findings of this manuscript will promote research efforts in the development of type I photosensitizers, targeting other important cellular organelles such as nucleus, Golgi body and understanding the mechanism of organelle targeting.
Be sure to read Vandana’s article, “Targeting sub-cellular organelles for boosting precision photodynamic therapy” to learn more!
