The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Biomedical Engineering professor Janet Zoldan was recently appointed as the editor in chief of the new npj Biomedical Innovations journal—part of the Nature portfolio. The journal is the most recent addition to the npj journal series, which are community-focused, open access journals across the physical, life, environmental and clinical sciences within Nature.
Zoldan already assembled the associate editor team and is currently building the journal’s editorial board.
I am enthusiastic about this new endeavor and aim to ensure that our open-access journal adopts a forward-thinking approach. The journal aims to serve as a platform for researchers, engineers, and health care professionals to share and disseminate ground-breaking research in biomedical engineering, focusing on in vitro models.
Zoldan said with the new regulations stemming from the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 for drug testing as well as the weakness of animal models to mimic human physiology, there should be a greater emphasis on in vitro modeling and not enough journals provide this focus. The journal will encourage contributions that advance the understanding of biological systems, improve medical diagnostics and treatment modalities, as well as drive innovation in health care technologies.
Journal Topics:
- Stem cell research and tissue engineering for organ regeneration
- Translational biomedical research on women’s health
- Development of biomaterials for medical applications
- Design and development of wearable technologies for health care
- Biomedical robotics and rehabilitation technologies
- Biomedical imaging and artificial intelligence, including medical imaging technologies
- Immunotherapies and vaccines to enhance the immune system
- Innovative drug delivery systems and nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery
- Big data analytics in health care and health care information systems
At UT Austin, Zoldan’s research centers around biomaterials and tissue engineering. Specifically, she investigates human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a model system to explore key principles underlying cardiovascular tissue formation processes by integrating and applying materials and stem cell bioengineering.
This is important as it bolsters treatment of tissues that lack an adequate supply of blood flow and provides in vitro models for personalized drug testing.
“My strong foundation of expertise and research experience allows me as an editor-in-chief to not only recognize groundbreaking work but also to guide the scientific discourse with integrity and insight, ultimately fostering a journal that serves as a beacon of knowledge and innovation,” said Zoldan.
WRITTEN BY JOSHUA KLEINSTREUER
