Nouri Neamati, associate professor at the USC School of Pharmacy, is editor in chief of Current Molecular Pharmacology, a new journal from Bentham Science Publishers.

Launched this month, the publication targets researchers involved in drug design and discovery at either the clinical or pre-clinical phase.

“Current Molecular Pharmacology will publish the latest developments in cellular and molecular pharmacology with a major emphasis on the mechanism of action of novel drugs in development,” Neamati said. “When we announced this journal to the pharmacology community, there was an immediate swell of interest for the kind of information that it provides.”

Neamati, who has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and has numerous patent applications in drug design and discovery, is a recognized expert on drug development targeting the HIV-1 integrase protein. His work in cancer focuses on creating oral drugs to treat colon, breast, lung and ovarian cancers, among others.

One of the associate editors on the journal is Joseph D. Miller, associate professor in the Department of Cell and Neurobiology and director of pharmacology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Miller, a well-known expert in neuropharmacology, noted, “This journal will publish the very best work of today’s top scientists working in pharmacology. It provides an in-depth look at innovative pharmacological technologies with a focus on cell signaling, genomics, proteomics and metabonomic applications to drug action.”

The international journal has board members from countries representing academia, government and industry. In addition to Neamati and Miller, editorial board members on the new publication from USC include Thomas C. Chen, associate professor at the Keck School; Sarah Hamm-Alvarez, the Gavin S. Herbert Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences and chair of the Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department at the School of Pharmacy; Michael Kahn, the Provost’s Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; Mariana C. Stern, assistant professor at the Keck School; and Allen Yang, assistant professor at Keck.