What Is ACS Bio and Med Chem AU? A Quick Guide

ACS Bio and Med Chem AU is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the American Chemical Society. It covers research at the intersection of biological chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology. The journal launched in 2021 and publishes original research articles, reviews, and notes that advance the understanding of chemical processes in living systems and the development of therapeutic agents.

Scope and Focus Areas

The journal publishes work that applies chemical principles to biological and medical problems. This includes studies on enzyme mechanisms, drug design and discovery, natural product chemistry, and the chemical biology of disease pathways. ACS Bio and Med Chem AU also covers topics such as chemical genetics, molecular recognition, and the development of chemical tools for probing biological systems.

A key distinction of this journal is its focus on the chemical aspects of biology and medicine rather than purely biological or clinical outcomes. Research that combines synthetic chemistry with biological evaluation is common. For example, a typical paper might describe the design and synthesis of a new class of kinase inhibitors, followed by in vitro testing against cancer cell lines. The journal does not publish clinical trial results or epidemiological studies.

Publication Model and Metrics

ACS Bio and Med Chem AU is fully open access. All articles are freely available to read and download. Authors pay an article processing charge (APC) to cover publication costs. The journal uses a single-anonymized peer review process, where reviewers know the authors’ identities but authors do not know the reviewers’ identities.

The journal is indexed in PubMed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science. It has a CiteScore and an Impact Factor, though these metrics are still building as the journal is relatively new. The time from submission to first decision is approximately 2-3 weeks, with full publication taking 4-6 months after acceptance.

Article Types Accepted

• Research Articles: Full-length reports of original research
• Reviews: Comprehensive overviews of a specific topic
• Notes: Short communications of preliminary or limited scope
• Perspectives: Forward-looking opinion pieces on emerging areas

All article types undergo the same peer review process. The journal does not accept case reports, meta-analyses, or systematic reviews.

How to Submit and What to Expect

Submissions are handled through the ACS Paragon Plus system. Authors need to create an account, upload their manuscript files, and provide suggested reviewers. The journal requires a cover letter, manuscript file, and a graphical abstract.

Submission Requirements

• Manuscripts must be formatted according to ACS style guidelines
• Figures should be high-resolution
• Supporting information files are accepted for supplementary data
• Authors must disclose any competing financial interests
• All co-authors must approve the submission

The editorial team is led by academic editors who handle specific subject areas. The editor-in-chief is a researcher in medicinal chemistry. Associate editors cover areas such as chemical biology, drug discovery, and natural products. Academic editors directly oversee the review process.

Review Process

After submission, the manuscript is checked for completeness and scope. If it fits the journal’s focus, it is assigned to an associate editor who selects reviewers. The typical review period is 2-3 weeks. After receiving reviews, the editor makes a decision: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject. Authors have 30 days to revise and resubmit. Revised manuscripts are usually sent back to the original reviewers.

Comparison to Other ACS Journals

ACS Bio and Med Chem AU fills a specific niche between broader journals like the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and more specialized titles like ACS Chemical Biology. The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry focuses heavily on drug discovery and optimization, often requiring extensive in vivo data. ACS Chemical Biology emphasizes chemical tools and mechanistic studies, sometimes accepting work with less direct therapeutic relevance.

ACS Bio and Med Chem AU sits between these two. It accepts papers that have strong chemical biology components but also show clear potential for therapeutic application. For example, a study on a new class of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) would fit here if it includes both chemical synthesis and biological validation in disease-relevant models. The same study might be rejected from the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry if it lacks pharmacokinetic data, or from ACS Chemical Biology if it is too applied.

The journal also differs from ACS Omega, which publishes all areas of chemistry with less selectivity. ACS Bio and Med Chem AU has a more focused scope and higher rejection rate.

Special Issues and Themed Collections

The journal periodically publishes special issues on emerging topics. Recent examples include collections on covalent inhibitors, antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and chemical approaches to neurodegenerative diseases. These special issues are edited by guest editors who are experts in the field. Submissions to special issues go through the same peer review process as regular articles but are grouped together in a dedicated online collection.

Authors interested in contributing to a special issue should check the journal’s website for current calls for papers. Guest editors often solicit invited reviews or perspectives, but unsolicited research articles are also accepted.

Data Availability and Reproducibility

ACS Bio and Med Chem AU requires authors to include a data availability statement in their manuscripts. This statement describes where the data supporting the findings can be accessed. Common options include depositing data in public repositories like the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for structural data, or the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) for small molecule crystal structures. For biological data, authors may use repositories like ChEMBL or PubChem.

The journal encourages but does not require deposition of raw spectral data. Authors must provide sufficient experimental details in the supporting information to allow reproduction of the work. This includes full synthetic procedures, characterization data for new compounds, and detailed biological assay protocols. For computational studies, authors must provide access to code, force field parameters, or other software inputs.

Author Services

ACS Publications offers several services to authors publishing in ACS Bio and Med Chem AU. These include free color figures in the online version, no page charges, and the ability to post the accepted manuscript to institutional repositories or preprint servers like ChemRxiv. Authors also receive a free PDF of their published article.

The journal participates in the ACS AuthorChoice program, which allows authors to pay an additional fee to make their article immediately open access upon publication. For authors who cannot afford the APC, the journal offers a waiver or discount program based on institutional or financial need. Requests for waivers are handled confidentially and do not affect the editorial decision.

The journal also provides language editing services through ACS Publications. Authors whose first language is not English can use this service to improve the clarity and grammar of their manuscripts. The service is optional and costs a flat fee per manuscript.

Key Takeaways

• ACS Bio and Med Chem AU is an open-access ACS journal focused on chemical biology and medicinal chemistry research.
• The journal covers enzyme mechanisms, drug design, natural products, and chemical tools for biology.
• It accepts research articles, reviews, notes, and perspectives, all peer-reviewed within 2-3 weeks.
• Submissions go through ACS Paragon Plus with standard formatting and disclosure requirements.
• The journal is indexed in PubMed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science, with metrics still developing.
• It sits between Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and ACS Chemical Biology in scope.
• Author services include free color figures, language editing, and APC waivers for qualifying authors.