Editors-in-Chief
Lucia Altucci, Università degli Studi della Campania, Italy
Marianne Rots, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
Aims & Scope
Encompassing the broad spectrum of epigenetics research from basic research to innovations in therapeutic treatments, Clinical Epigenetics is a top tier, open access journal devoted to the study of epigenetic principles and mechanisms as applied to human development, disease, diagnosis and treatment. The journal particularly welcomes submissions involving clinical trials, translational research, new and innovative methodologies and model organisms providing mechanistic insights. The journal is divided into the following sections:
- Aging and development epigenetics
- Allergy, immunology, and pathogen epigenetics
- Cancer epigenetics and diagnostics
- Cardiovascular epigenetics
- Endocrinology and metabolic epigenetics
- Environmental epigenetics
- Epigenetic biomarkers
- Epigenetic technologies
- Epigenetic Drugs, Trials and Therapy
- Innovative therapies
- Lifestyle epigenetics
- Neurology and psychiatry epigenetics
- Regenerative medicine
- Reproductive and transgenerational epigenetics
For more information on the section aims and scope visit our section information page. If you are unclear which section would be best suited to your submission, we invite you to submit a pre-submission inquiry by selecting the Contact Us option here.
Editorial Policy Regarding Submissions Focusing on Non-coding RNAs or RNA Modifications
Manuscripts focusing on differential RNA expression levels (coding or non-coding) or on RNA modifications cannot be considered for publication in Clinical Epigenetics since these aspects are not part of epigenetics per se.
In general, non-coding RNAs affect their target genes at the RNA level, which classifies these molecules as post-transcriptional gene expression regulators. The chromatin effects induced by some ncRNA do not yet justify this, to be included as a general mechanism of action of non-coding RNAs. Similarly, although modifications of RNA molecules resemble modifications of DNA or histone proteins, so do post-translational modifications of non-chromatin proteins. As such, RNA modifications are a novel class of markers, but they are not different from general posttranslational protein modifications (which also are not considered part of epigenetics).
For manuscripts on non-coding RNAs or RNA modifications to be considered for publication in Clinical Epigenetics, the authors must provide at least one of the following:
- data on the molecular epigenetic regulation of the expression of non-coding RNA (or its modifying enzymes); or
- insights on the mechanism of action of the non-coding RNA on the chromatin and/or functioning of the DNA; or
- insights in mitotic stability of the RNA-induced effect.
Editorial Policy Regarding Submissions Focusing on In silico research
Manuscripts reporting on straightforward bioinformatic analyses of publicly accessible databases only, cannot be considered for publication in Clinical Epigenetics, unless the manuscript presents:
- new insights with well-described strong clinical impact and/or
- additional insights into biological mechanisms (“wet-lab” validations) and/or
- validations of findings in a replication cohort.
Archival Content
In October 2011, Clinical Epigenetics became a fully open access journal and is now published as part of BioMed Central's portfolio of journals. To view the journal's content prior to this transition, please see SpringerLink.
