This call for papers invites authoritative Reviews, Perspectives, and Viewpoints that identify and evaluate recommended tool compounds for specific targets, target families, and biological pathways.
The quality of biological and pharmacological research depends heavily on the selection of appropriate experimental tools. Well-characterized tool compounds play a critical role in elucidating target function, validating therapeutic hypotheses, and enabling translational advances. However, the growing number of available compounds and varying levels of characterization can make it challenging for researchers to identify the most suitable tools for their studies.
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science invites submissions to its ongoing Review series, Recommended Tool Compounds for Biological and Pharmacological Studies. This collection seeks expert-authored Reviews, Perspectives, and Viewpoints that critically assess and recommend the best available tool compounds for specific targets, target classes, biological pathways, or disease-relevant mechanisms. Reviews should provide practical guidance to the broader scientific community, highlighting compound properties, selectivity profiles, appropriate applications, limitations, and recommended control compounds where applicable.
Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Recommended tool compounds for individual molecular targets
- Tool compounds for target families (e.g., kinases, GPCRs, ion channels, nuclear receptors, transporters, epigenetic regulators)
- Chemical probes and molecular probes for biological target validation
- Comparative analyses of available tool compounds and probe sets
- Criteria for evaluating potency, selectivity, efficacy, and pharmacological suitability
- Recommended control compounds and experimental best practices
- In vitro and in vivo applications of tool compounds
- Emerging tool modalities, including degraders, peptides, oligonucleotides, antibodies, nanobodies, glycoconjugates, and other macromolecular probes
- Species considerations and translational relevance of tool compounds
- Future needs and opportunities in probe and tool compound development
Many scientists will be extremely grateful for a resource that will help them identify and select the best molecular tools for their studies. Expert Reviews, Perspectives, or Viewpoints should provide balanced, evidence-based recommendations that help researchers select the most appropriate compounds for mechanistic, biological, and translational studies.
Please refer to the journal’s Author Guidelines for more information on these manuscript types. Authors are encouraged to discuss both strengths and limitations of available tools and identify gaps where improved compounds are still needed. This initiative aims to establish a trusted resource for the broader pharmacology and biomedical research communities.
Organizing Editors
Prof. Christa E. Müller, Editor-in-Chief, ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science
University of Bonn, Germany
Submission Information
We welcome submissions to this series any time. For more information on submission requirements, please visit the journal’s Author Guidelines page.
Manuscript types sought for this call for papers include Reviews, Perspectives, and Viewpoints. All submissions will undergo the full, rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals. Papers accepted for publication in this series will be available online ASAP (as soon as publishable). Published papers may later be compiled on a dedicated landing page to form a Collection.
Open Access: There are diverse open access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.
How to Submit
- Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
- Select your manuscript type; upload your manuscript and related files.
- Review the title and abstract fields to confirm any pre-populated information has transferred correctly.
- Confirm all other information is correct.
- Submit your article.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss whether a specific topic would be suitable for this series, please contact Editor-in-Chief Prof. Christa E. Müller (eic@ptsci.acs.org).
