Since the New Year is only just upon us, it seems fitting to take a moment to reflect on Lab Animal in 2002 and take a look at what is in store for 2003.

Last year was another successful one for Lab Animal. In our peer-reviewed feature articles, we covered a wide range of timely topics germane to the laboratory animal care community, including the recognition of pain and distress in laboratory animals and alternative toxicology tests that require the use of fewer animals. At the same time, our monthly columns kept our readers up to date on the ever-changing regulations governing animal care and use and some of the major breakthroughs in biomedical research, while continuing to present thought-provoking protocol review scenarios and intriguing pathology cases.

Therefore, we would like to thank the members of the laboratory animal care and use community whose contributions made this possible. We recognize how busy everyone in the field is, and would especially like to thank those of you who took the time out of their hectic schedules to contribute articles and columns. Likewise, we appreciate the efforts of those people who participated in our peer-review process, without whose in-depth reviews we could not consistently publish the high-quality material for which we are known.

We remain committed to providing the community with relevant and timely information. For the coming year, we are planning issues that will focus on such topics as the development and study of emerging animal research models and the latest word in facility design.

We are also planning a number of exciting projects for the coming year. Summertime will bring a new, more user-friendly website, providing easier access to a wide variety of information and resources. Beyond our regular monthly content, we also anticipate the release of supplementary material intended to provide even more valuable information to the animal research community. Finally, we are considering adding a new monthly column to go along with the old standbys—“Newsfronts”, “Protocol Review”, “Regulation Watch”, and “What's Your Diagnosis?” This “Question & Answer” column will provide a forum for a wide range of topics and concerns. To this end, we hope you will feel free to start submitting queries on anything you've ever wanted to know about laboratory animal science, but were afraid to ask.

Of course, we are always looking for new ideas for topics for articles and features. What kinds of information would make your job easier? Do you know of an important topic that has been unfairly neglected? Or perhaps there is a subject about which you have read entirely too much?

We aim to remain a valued resource to the laboratory animal care community, but we cannot do so in isolation. We welcome reader feedback, as well as suggestions for subject matter that you'd like to see us cover. You can always drop us a line at labanimal@natureny.com. Best wishes for the new year!