Q&As

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. In celebration of this occasion, we are talking with Dr. Florence Rabier, Director-General of the ECMWF, about what has been achieved over the last five decades and what opportunities and challenges lie ahead in the field of weather prediction.

Machine learning (ML) is rapidly influencing the development of many research areas, including biocatalysis, the use of enzymes and living systems to mediate chemical reactions, often of pharmaceutical and industrial importance. To find out how can machine learning be applied to biocatalysis research, we talked to three scientists, Professor Rebecca Buller (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), Dr. Stanislav Mazurenko (Masaryk University) and Associate Professor Yang Yang (University of California, Santa Barbara). We discussed the potentials and challenges associated with ML, how collaborations between computational and biocatalysis experts can be promoted, and how will the field develop in the future.

The preclinical exploration of nanomedicine for cancer theranostics is rapidly expanding, underscoring its significant translational potential. The diverse physicochemical properties of these nanosystems — including size, morphology, surface charge, hydrophobicity, catalytic activity, and chirality — inevitably influence their interactions with biological systems. As a result, comprehensive biological validation and interdisciplinary collaboration across fields such as biochemistry, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, immunology, and oncology are essential.

The African Union (AU) has set an ambitious goal to strengthen primary health care systems on the African continent and achieve universal health coverage for all African citizens by 2030. As part of this initiative, the AU advocates for African self-reliance in the manufacturing of life-saving vaccines and drugs. Here, we speak with Professor Nicaise Ndembi and Dr Jerome Kim, who are at the forefront of capacity building for African vaccine manufacturing, about the progress that has been made towards the AU’s goal, and what challenges remain.

NASA’s latest space probe Europa Clipper, was launched on October 14, 2024, and will study Jupiter’s moon Europa. Europa is covered by an icy crust and is thought to host a subsurface ocean of liquid water. Europa Clipper’s main mission objectives are to study the moon’s ice crust and its surface features, confirm the presence of a subsurface ocean, and determine its chemical composition. Ultimately, this mission will further our understanding of the potential habitability of icy moons in our solar system, such as Europa. In this Q&A we are talking with three scientists (Dr. Christopher Glein, Dr. Elodie Lesage and Dr. Annie Marinan) involved with Clipper, and what particular research questions they hope to answer during the mission.

Problems with experimental reproducibility affect every field of science. However, the opinions on the causes of the reproducibility “crisis” and how we all can help vary amongst fields as well as individual scientists. Here, we talk to experts from different fields of science to get their insights on this endemic issue. Professor Brian Nosek is a social psychologist at the University of Virginia and executive director of the Center for Open Science. Professor Christine Mummery is a developmental biologist at Leiden University Medical Center and the former President of the International Society of Stem Cell Research. Dr Leonardo Scarabelli is a chemist and group leader at the University of Cantabria. Professor Vitaly Podzorov is a physicist at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and current Donald H. Jacobs Chair in Applied Physics.

Clinical trial statistics underlie the central decision-making process for whether a therapeutic approach can enter the clinic, but the nuances of this field may not be widely understood. Furthermore, how the statistics used in clinical trials differ from preclinical approaches and why they differ is not always clear. Here, three experts discuss the intricacies of clinical trial statistical planning and analysis as well as common issues that arise and emerging trends. The experts are Dr Tao Chen (Senior lecturer in Biostatistics at the Liverpool School of Tropical medicine), Professor Li Chao (Professor in Biostatistics at Xi’an Jiaotong University) and Professor Yang Wang (Professor in Biostatistics at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College). They have a diverse range of backgrounds across biostatistics and have been involved in numerous clinical trials of varying types.

Nature Communications has been striving to support Early Career Researchers (ECRs) through different pilot schemes including the peer review mentoring programs and co-review mentoring initiative. The 2^nd Rising Stars workshop, held at the Henry Royce Institute on the 9^th of February, 2024, aims to celebrate and support rising stars within underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and this greatly aligns with the aspirations in our journal. In this conversation, the experiences and advice shared by representatives from various disciplines in the workshop are translated to a wider audience in Nature Communications. Dr Alex Ramadan (Lecturer at the University of Sheffield), Dr Lucy Whalley (Assistant Professor at Northumbria University), Dr Maddison Coke (Senior Experimental Officer at the University of Manchester), and Dr Yi Liu (Lecturer at Loughborough University) discuss the opportunities and challenges they face towards their career with work-life balance, family and caring responsibility, and diversity and inclusion in their workplace, and share their experiences on how mentorship supports their personal and professional growth.

Arboviral infections are major public health threats, with 100 million people estimated to get sick annually from dengue infection alone. Globally, the risk of arboviruses is likely to further increase both within, and outside of, affected regions due to a combination of factors including climate change, human mobility, and other societal factors. Despite the availability of vaccines for some arbovirus infections, there is a lack of specific antiviral treatment options. Professor Johan Neyts at the University of Leuven, Belgium, has been working on developing antiviral strategies for more than 30 years. His current research focuses on developing antiviral drugs and vaccines against emerging and neglected viruses many of which are arboviruses. In this Q&A, he discusses the risks associated with vector-borne virus infections, challenges in developing efficient drugs for treatment, and current promising efforts to address these challenges.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a crucial diagnostic tool within modern healthcare, yet its availability remains largely confined to high-income nations. The imperative to extend MRI accessibility to lower-income countries aligns with the pursuit of universal health coverage, a key target of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3. In an interview with Nature Communications, three scientists dedicated to advancing MRI accessibility in Africa share their insights. These experts include Dr Udunna Anazodo (Assistant Professor at McGill University, Canada and Scientific Director, Medical Artificial Intelligence (MAI) Lab, Lagos, Nigeria), Dr Johnes Obungoloch (Lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda) and Dr Ugumba Kwikima (Neuroradiologist, Lugalo General Military Hospital, Tanzania). Our discussion considers the current MRI landscape across African countries and the associated challenges and opportunities. We also cover technological innovations making a difference, such as low field MRI, alongside the role of advocacy initiatives in bolstering accessibility. We finally look ahead to the future of MRI in Africa.

Professor Sabine Oertelt-Prigione has been working in the field of sex and gender-sensitive research for the last 15 years. Her current work is focused on trying to understand how sex and gender-sensitive medicine can be successfully implemented in research and practice as well as methods to investigate gender in medical research. Dr. Brandon Turner is a resident physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has conducted and is involved in numerous studies looking to evaluate race and ethnicity reporting and representation in clinical trials. In this interview for Nature Communications, Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, and Brandon Turner share their knowledge about the biases that can occur in clinical trials and how they can be minimized.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with over 25% of these occurring in the African region. Multi-drug resistant strains which do not respond to first-line antibiotics continue to emerge, putting at risk numerous public health strategies which aim to reduce incidence and mortality. Here, we speak with Professor Valerie Mizrahi, world-leading researcher and former director of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town, regarding the tuberculosis burden in South Africa. We discuss the challenges faced by researchers, the lessons that need to be learnt and current innovations to better understand the overall response required to accelerate progress.

On the 12th of April 2010, Nature Communications published its first editorial and primary research articles. The topics of these first 11 papers represented the multidisciplinary nature of the journal: from DNA damage to optics alongside material science to energy and including polymer chemistry. We have spoken with the corresponding authors of some of these very first papers and asked them about their experience of publishing in this then new journal and how they see Nature Communications now.

As part of our tenth-anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

As part of our tenth anniversary celebrations, the editorial team at Nature Communications wanted to hear from early career researchers who have published with us. We asked the early career researchers to tell us in an essay what is amazing about the research question(s) that drove them and the highs—and lows—of the journey from hypothesis to publication.

Summary: Cultivated or cultured meat is promising to revolutionize the food industry in the coming years to decades, helping to resolve concerns related to the environmental impact and ethical implications linked to conventional meat production. We talked to Dr. Sandhya Sriram, the Group CEO and Co-founder of Shiok Meats Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Prof. Shulamit Levenberg, the former Dean of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Technion, current Director of the Technion Center for 3D Bioprinting and The Rina & Avner Schneur Center for Diabetes Research, as well as the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Adviser of Aleph Farms, Israel; and Dr. Timothy Olsen, Head of Cultured Meat in the Life Science business at Merck KGaA, Germany; about this relatively new and quickly developing sector. They explain what their teams are working on, including the biggest recent accomplishments, speak about the main challenges facing the field and how they can be resolved, and share their visions about the future of cultivated meat, aiming to provide more equitable and sustainable access to nutritious food for the growing world population.

Medicinal chemistry is a fast-evolving interdisciplinary research area which aims to improve human life by developing drugs to combat diseases. Nature Communications interviewed three scientists, Daniele Castagnolo (Associate Professor at University College London), Paramita Sarkar (postdoctoral researcher at University of Würzburg) and Dani Schulz (Director, Discovery Process Chemistry at Merck), about their careers and the past and future in medicinal chemistry research. We asked the researchers what medicinal chemistry means to them, and their opinions on the current relevance of the Rule of Five and new chemical modalities beyond the Rule of Five. We also discuss the differences between academic and industry research in medicinal chemistry and how Open Science can support collaborations for drug development.

The process of patenting inventions may be complex. Academic researchers whose primary goal is getting their work published in scientific journals often face daunting doubts when it comes to understanding the interplay between publishing and patenting their findings. We asked Prof Frank Tietze questions from the perspective of academic researchers who wish to understand how the patenting process works and—most importantly—the relation between patenting and publishing.