PLOS Biology – open for cancer research | PLOS Biologue

"Cancer, the big C, is not just a single disease; it is a complex beast that, according to data from the National Cancer Institute, will be diagnosed in 1 in 2 people during their lifetime. The Editorial team at PLOS Biology believes strongly that we are Open for a Reason, precisely so that research in areas of high importance reaches the widest audience.  Cancer research is one such area that should be as openly available as possible, with associated data mineable and reusable, ideally in an open access, CC-BY journal as quickly as possible. Cancer can take hold in numerous locations in the body, can metastasize and travel to other sites, and generally results from cumulative mutations in many genes and pathways. Although the (open access) Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer [1] reports an encouraging overall decline in cancer death rates, many of us will have lost someone, or know someone currently battling with cancer, and it continues to devastate lives. Despite research and advanced treatment options leading to an increased survival rate for many kinds of cancer, there is still a lot that we don’t understand ... Later this week, I will be representing PLOS Biology at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2013, along with colleagues fromPLOS Medicine and PLOS ONE.  Last year at the AACR meeting, there were nearly 17,000 attendees from 70 countries; based in Washington DC this year, no doubt thousands will again gather to discuss the latest, most interesting findings in all areas of cancer research.  If you’re attending and want to find out more about how to publish in an Open Access journal, you can visit the PLOS booth to learn more about PLOS Biology, meet me and others from PLOS at our booth, number 544. We’re planning a meet the editor session from 12 til 1:30 pm on Monday 8th April; stop by to leave a message for me, or email me at biologue[at]plos.org, and we can arrange a time to chat ..."