The evolution of miniaturization, automation, and integration – a new scope for Lab on a Chip

In the early 2000s, a dynamic, self-expressive community started to form around a string of successful developments in micro/nanofluidic and lab-on-a-chip technology. Alongside this burgeoning community, Lab on a Chip was launched under the guidance of founding Editor-in-Chief Andreas Manz and the Royal Society of Chemistry editorial team, led by Harpal Minhas. The mission of the new journal was to establish itself as the primary resource and platform to publish cutting-edge advances and innovations in the chemical and biological sciences relating to miniaturization. Since then, the journal has continually evolved and organically developed to meet the needs of this community, which has consistently proven itself to push boundaries of fundamental scientific importance and the potential for immense societal impact. One need only look to the lab-on-a-chip-driven revolution in single-cell genome/transcriptome sequencing for the former and to applications of lab-on-a-chip technologies in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the latter as examples of transformational advances that this field has the potential to realise.

Today, Lab on a Chip has transformed into a unique forum for multidisciplinary work where miniaturization, automation and integration demonstrate a profound impact across diverse fields and has become the journal to publish work in this area relating to biology, medicine, materials science, environmental monitoring, energy, and so much more. Microfluidic, nanofluidic and miniaturized systems now span a long list of disciplines, and our community encompasses more researchers than ever before, including engineers, chemists, biologists, biomedical scientists, physicists, materials scientists, and many others across academia, industry, and clinical practices.

Lab on a Chip has a deservedly strong reputation for publishing novel technological innovations at the micro- and nano-scale, coupled with significance in areas of its application. Fundamental research and technical novelty remain critical for driving progress in the field. However, it is important to recognise that both the future of lab-on-a-chip technology, and Lab on a Chip, lies in its ability to address an increasingly diverse array of challenges, ranging from healthcare and therapeutics to environmental sustainability. You – our community – are poised to continue the expansion into new application areas, continually integrating technological advances into practical, impactful solutions.

It is with this in mind that the Editorial Board has decided to modify the scope of the journal to better reflect the continued advances in the field and to be better placed in continuing to represent it. The new scope can be found here. In brief, Lab on a Chip will remain the “home” for impactful and wide-reaching research in this field. Critically, Lab on a Chip seeks to publish research papers from this diverse community that demonstrate innovation in all forms. The key change to the scope of the journal is that we recognise innovation can come from either technical advancements or applications that address pressing needs. It is important to note that we will continue to welcome cutting-edge fundamental work. We will also continue to affirm our rigorous novelty standards and would strongly encourage you to read the new scope statement in full to inform you as our valued readers, authors and reviewers. For more information, read our new detailed scope statement on the journal website (https://www.rsc.org/journals-books-databases/about-journals/lab-on-a-chip/).

We hope that this change to the scope supports this ever-evolving field and community and we look forward to continuing to publish innovative research across miniaturization, automation and integration. We would of course like to thank all of you, our board members, authors, reviewers and readers for your continued support of Lab on a Chip and we look forward to reading your next paper!

 

Aaron Wheeler, Editor-in-Chief

Jean-Christophe Baret, Associate Editor

Yoon-Kyoung Cho, Associate Editor

Amy Herr, Associate Editor

Xingyu Jiang, Associate Editor

Séverine Le Gac, Associate Editor

Hang Lu, Associate Editor

Manabu Tokeshi, Associate Editor

Hongkai Wu, Associate Editor

Rebecca Garton, Executive Editor

Alice Smallwood, Deputy Editor

David Lake, Development Editor

Harpal Minhas, Publisher New Business Development

---