As a biophysicist, I love the interplay between development of new methodology and the answering of complex mechanistic questions. The Biophysical Journal’s Special Issue on Single-Cell Biophysics that was published this week is a wonderful representation of that interplay: lots of fascinating research on how molecular processes work inside cellular systems and how biophysical approaches are making those studies possible.
This Special Issue is much more than a collection of cool papers, though. It resulted from the BPS Thematic Meeting on Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling – held a year ago in Taipei, Taiwan. This meeting, organized by Jung-Chi Liao, Keng-hui Lin, Christine Payne, and Jie Xiao, had as a goal to similarly mix different disciplines and present an integrated view of where the rapidly evolving field of cellular biophysics stands. The meeting achieved that goal and much more.
Beyond bringing together different disciplines, this meeting was a great example of how spending a week together as a group does more than just providing a platform to present our work. Meeting new people and seeing old friends is to me a key component of any conference. Discussing science and any aspect related to life as a scientist with people in all stages of their career and from all places around the world always makes me travel home with renewed excitement and motivation about my work. And now all of that could be done while exploring the wonderful city of Taipei and its great food!
The Special Issue that resulted from the meeting is also a reflection of the comradery in the field. For most of us, the Biophysical Journal is our “home” journal. It embodies the same philosophy that motivates us in this research area: developing physical tools and frameworks to understand biology. When the conference organizers and the Journal floated the idea of putting together a Special Issue on the same topic, it didn’t take much convincing for people to commit to a contribution. As the editor of this Special Issue, it gave me a unique opportunity to extend the fun I had during this meeting to an equally enjoyable experience reading the contributed manuscripts and putting the issue together.
In a way, the BPS Thematic Meeting and the Biophysical Journal Special Issue are two important examples of the mechanisms that strengthens research: While a lot of the work we do is often based on a single location and centered on a select few topics and disciplines, it’s the integration of those efforts that makes us move forward, both as a research field and as a research community.
Antoine van Oijen
University of Wollongong, Australia
Twitter: @van__Oijen