Meet the Incoming Editor of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, the official Journal of ASTCT: David L. Porter, MD
In this Q&A, Dr. Porter reflects on his vision for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, the evolving role of scientific publishing in transplantation and cellular therapy, and how the Journal can continue to support researchers, clinicians, and trainees as the field enters its next phase of growth and discovery.
Nucleus: The field of transplantation and cellular therapy is advancing rapidly, from CAR T-cell therapy and TILs to autoimmune and gene therapy applications. How do you see Transplantation and Cellular Therapy evolving to reflect these emerging areas?
Dr. Porter: Transplantation and Cellular Therapy has already been evolving to encompass the rapidly expanding field of transplant and cell therapy. Now more than ever I believe ASTCT and the Journal will be critical resources for dissemination of new information and exploration of new ideas.
Last year, we published a Journal supplement focused on TIL cells and have accepted several recent publications on the use of TIL cells for solid tumors. We will also be actively soliciting the very best and most innovative work focusing on transplant of genetically modified stem cells, new applications of novel gene therapy approaches that enhance immune effector cell treatments, and studies designed to rapidly accelerate safe administration and access to transplant and other cell therapies.
Nucleus: Throughout your leadership roles, you've emphasized the importance of staying informed and fostering collaboration across disciplines. What role does ASTCT’s Journal play in connecting researchers, clinicians, and trainees across the field?
Dr. Porter: I believe that our Journal, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, can be the definitive resource for the most up to date approaches to cell therapy, regardless of indication.
For instance, ASTCT and Colorado Blood Cancer Institute are co-sponsoring the first meeting on Transplant and Cellular Therapy for Immunological Disorders in Aurora, Colorado, Oct. 1-2. This meeting will bring experts from numerous disciplines together, including bone marrow transplant (BMT), cell therapy, neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, and other specialties to discuss the direction and application of cell therapies for immunological disorders. There is tremendous interest in this field, but of course not everyone can attend.
Our Journal will therefore publish a meeting report so that researchers, clinicians, and trainees across all these disciplines can have access to the most cutting-edge information and treatments. We believe that by making these exciting findings accessible through the Journal, it will stimulate new cross-collaboration and more future interest in attending these meetings in person. Not to be too dramatic, but the Journal is a critical spark for the amazing innovation happening in our field.
Nucleus: What types of submissions or scientific topics are you particularly excited to see more of in the coming years?
Dr. Porter: We remain excited to see all the new work and outcomes data increasingly available on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Studies that teach novel approaches to transplant continue to drive the field forward, and larger, long-term follow-up studies remain critical to change practice and improve outcomes for patients. We’re especially excited about all the accumulating data on using mismatched donors for transplant, approaches that have dramatically enhanced access to BMT for so many patients.
There is also incredible work happening in areas of transplant biology, relapse, and GVHD. It’s the publication and dissemination of novel preclinical work that leads to the clinical advances we’ve seen over the last several years.
We continue to be excited about the rapid expansion of submissions for non-transplant cell therapies, including applications in solid tumors and autoimmunity, novel approaches for CAR T-cell development, new gene engineering approaches, in-vivo production, and non-CAR or non-T cell-related immune effector cell therapies.
Nucleus: For early-career investigators and clinicians, publishing can seem intimidating. What advice would you give to researchers preparing to submit their first manuscript to Transplantation and Cellular Therapy? And what role should or shouldn’t AI play in their efforts?
Dr. Porter: Everyone who has ever published has submitted a first manuscript. Some advice is to make sure not to take reviews personally. By and large our volunteer reviewers are respectful and work to make manuscripts clearer and more definitive. They try to be helpful but impartial, and, more often than not, provide invaluable insight and recommendations. So, use the reviews to improve your work.
The wonderful part about publishing in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy is that your peers will see your work. I think it’s one of the fastest ways to disseminate knowledge to the community, and it can lead to further studies and collaborations. In some ways it’s also a great way to network; it’s not uncommon to receive questions or congratulations from colleagues working in your area, or have other reach out to organize new collaborations around your work.
But draft the paper yourself. AI can be a good tool for proofreading and maybe even organization and figure generation. It should not be used to write a manuscript or do the research. We’ve found that AI-generated manuscripts are often obvious and superficial, rarely answering the most pressing and exciting questions in our field.
Nucleus: How can ASTCT members engage with the Journal beyond submitting manuscripts?
Dr. Porter: To paraphrase the Golden Rule, “review unto others and you would have others review unto you”…or something like that!
Peer review is critical for success, not just of the Journal, but of our field.
It can be time consuming, but it is also interesting, rewarding, and can be fun. It’s often exciting to see the work peers are doing before it’s widely publicized. And it’s a critical service to move our field forward. It’s also incredibly educational. I have learned as much from reading and critically analyzing papers I’ve reviewed as anything else in our field.
But the Journal is also successful because of the wonderful work we publish. We want to highlight your work! It might be your cutting-edge original research, a critical review that synthesizes material that so many people are thinking about, or a commentary about a contemporary topic. This is our Journal, and we want to highlight, publish, and disseminate your work.
If you look through our table of contents every month, find those topics and articles that most interest you. I am confident you will not only remain current with new research, but that research will stimulate new successes, ideas, and areas of research.
Nucleus: Looking ahead what impact would you like Transplantation and Cellular Therapy to have on patient care, research, and the ASTCT community over the next five years?
Dr. Porter: Is it too ambitious to say, “everything?”
Basic science and early research lead to clinical breakthroughs and improvements that lead to better outcomes and more cures for patients. That is why ASTCT and the Journal Transplantation and Cellular Therapy is here.
We can’t do one without the other. Our community and the journal are unique in that we have members studying the most basic aspects of transplant biology and cellular immunotherapy. They are also studying technologies to improve cell functions and activities, enhance the safety of these historically dangerous procedures, test novel therapies, and assess clinical outcomes from the small first-in-human studies to some of the largest transplant studies undertaken.
It is all within this incredible umbrella of ASTCT and the Journal Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. We will be the place where these breakthroughs happen, and the results will be disseminated for everyone to see and use.