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Starting 1 January 2018, I have the great honor to serve as the new Editor-in-Chief of the Amino Acids Journal—The Forum for Amino Acid, Peptide and Protein Research. Founded in 1991 by Gert Lubec and Graham C. Barrett, the journal has evolved into a flagship of amino acid research.

In their opening editorial, Barrett and Lubec (1991) declared: “The widening importance of amino acids—as if their role as constituents of peptides and proteins was not enough!—is emphasized by the increasing number and diversity of research papers covering their chemistry, and their involvement in all subject areas in biology.” This statement has lost none of its significance. In times of the big omics and more and more refined research tools to understand biological systems, amino acids are in the focus of interest more than ever.

For over than a quarter of a century Gert Lubec has been the conductor leading the journal to success and has now decided to retire from his position as Editor-in-Chief at the end of 2017. I am very honored to have been chosen as his successor and very enthusiastic to take on this new challenge. My own expertise lies in the area of amino acid transport, as well as metabolic and signaling pathways dependent on this transport. As an author and longtime member of the editorial board, I have been connected to the journal for many years now. Aiming to build on Gert’s success, I am going to help steer the journal through the next 3 years.

My respect for Gert Lubec is immense and I feel no single person could fill his shoes. Fortunately for me, Gert has agreed to stay connected to the journal and continue to serve as section editor for neuroscience and neuroproteomics. As Editor-in-Chef he has also assembled a splendid team of board members and front office staff that will help me build on his achievements. I am very delighted that many of you have already promised to continue supporting the journal and am looking forward to working with all of you in order to uphold the journal’s standing. Our goal is to keep enticing prospective authors into choosing Amino Acids as the publishing platform for their top studies in all fields of amino acid research. To succeed, we need to work in partnership with the many experts dedicated to the journal in the various research areas that come under the wide umbrella of Amino Acids. These include: analysis, separation, synthesis, biosynthesis, cross-linking, racemization/enantiomers, modification, analogues and derivatives of amino acids and peptides and their roles in biochemistry and animal and plant cell biology, physiology and pathophysiology. Applications encompass biochemistry, food chemistry, nutrition, agriculture and various other fields in biology and medicine such as neurology, psychiatry, pharmacology, immunology, nephrology, gastroenterology and microbiology, to name just a few. Covering this wide scientific range would not be possible without the many experts who act as peer reviewers, volunteering their precious time to the journal and to whom I would like to extend my special gratitude.