Call For Papers: Chemistry and Biology of Peptides

Peptides are some of the most functionally dense biomolecules, whether fitting into small protein pockets to effect outsized biological impacts or folding into predicted conformations to enable precise chemical catalysis. This density stems in part from the rich tapestry of peptide modifications known, enabling specific interactions or structures to be dialed in at the atomic level.

A new joint Special Issue from Biochemistry and The Journal of Organic Chemistry will bring together researchers across the spectrum of peptide chemistry and biology, highlighting new structures, applications, and insights emerging from this exciting field.

Topics include:

• Synthesis, modification, and discovery of peptides and proteins, including
  • New strategies for peptide engineering, libraries, and screening
  • Glycopeptides, lipopeptides, and other modified peptides
  • Peptide degradation, peptidases, and other peptide fates
  • Structural and functional analyses
• Bioactive peptides, including
  • Mini-proteins, short ORFs, and non-canonical biological sources of peptides
  • Peptides as biologics, biomarkers, antigens, and in disease
  • Peptides in drug discovery
• Designed peptides, mini proteins, and foldamers and their functional applications, including peptide materials and catalysts
• Peptide-related analytical and bioanalytical methods

Submissions that are more “synthetic” in nature will be best submitted to The Journal of Organic Chemistry (Author Guidelines), while those that are more “biochemical” should be submitted to Biochemistry (Author Guidelines).

Each journal’s scope can be found at the Author Guidelines links above; for more information, the journals can be contacted directly at:

• eic@jorgchm.acs.org (The Journal of Organic Chemistry)
• eic@biochem.acs.org (Biochemistry)

Organizing Editors

Prof. Alanna Schepartz, Editor-in-Chief, Biochemistry
University of California, Berkeley, United States

Prof. Scott J. Miller, Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Organic Chemistry
Yale University, United States

Prof. James S. Nowick, Guest Editor
University of California, Irvine, United States

Prof. James W. Checco, Guest Editor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States

Prof. Dr. Beate Koksch, Guest Editor
Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through December 31, 2025. For more information on submission requirements, please visit each journal’s Author Guidelines page at the links above.

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include research articles, perspectives, reviews/JOCSynopses, and viewpoints. Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the "Journals" tab.
• Choose Biochemistry or The Journal of Organic Chemistry.
• Click "Submit."
• Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “Chemistry and Biology of Peptides.”

If you have any questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact the journal offices at eic@jorgchm.acs.org (The Journal of Organic Chemistry) or eic@biochem.acs.org (Biochemistry).

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