Welcome to Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis

Editorial

Welcome to Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis

Luigi Casella

Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy; luigi.casella@unipv.it

Received: 4 September 2024; Accepted: 5 September 2024; Published: 6 September 2024

1. Introduction

I am honored to introduce Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis, a new journal aiming at covering all aspects related to the role of metal ions in biological systems and all possible applications arising from the interaction of metals with biological or biomimetic matrices. The prominent role that metallo-biomolecules play in so many aspects of the biological world and their practical applications, e.g. in catalysis, medicine, and bioremediation, is steadily increasing recognition and the few journals that currently deal with the topic are insufficient to cover the huge volume of papers that are spread in the more general literature. Some examples of recently expanding areas of research dealing with metallo-biomolecules are the new applications of metal complexes in biosensoring, bioimaging, and as bioluminescent probes, those of metal-organic frameworks in disease treatments, the emergence of metallo-neurochemistry as a better-defined research topic, and the developments in the biocatalytic production of hydrogen, carbon dioxide reduction, nitrogen fixation, and environmental bioremediation.

2. Aim and Scope

Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis is an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to all aspects of the role of metal ions in biological systems and the applications of metallo-biomolecules in a broad variety of areas spanning from medicine to sensoring, catalysis, and bioremediation. The Journal invites contributions of high-quality research carried out primarily at the molecular level and involving experimental or theoretical studies, typically based on the chemistry, biochemistry, and structure-function relationships of metallo-biomolecules and their biomimetics, and promoting a better understanding of their biocatalytic reactions. The Journal aims at creating interdisciplinary connections and stimulate new ideas and inspiration from research areas at the cross front.

The scope of Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis is to publish original research articles, review papers, short communications, and commentaries on a broad range of topics dealing with experimental, theoretical, and computational work in the subject areas including, but not limited to:

Metal-biomolecule interactions, including proteins, peptides and nucleic acids

Metal homeostasis, transport, and metabolism

Metal enzymes

Metal ions in gene regulation and signaling

Metals in medicine

Metals in sensoring

Metals in neuroscience

Metal ion toxicity in organisms and environment

Artificial metalloenzymes

Chemical biomimetics

Redox catalysis and biocatalysis in synthesis and bioremediation

Bioorganometallic chemistry

Asymmetric synthesis by enzymes and synthetic analogues

Metal promoted biomimetic reactions and processes

Biophysical, spectroscopic and computational studies on metals in biological systems

3. Outlook

The future of the chemistry and biological applications of metallo-biomolecules is brilliant and will see a further expansion of their role in life sciences. Bioinorganics and Biocatalysis can contribute to this expansion depending on how good will be the research that the Journal publishes. This obviously depends on the team of dedicated Editors and the contributions that scientists and scholars will submit to the Journal for publication. On the other hand, the publisher will certainly try their best to keep high-quality standards and accessibility to the published materials.

Conflicts of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.