Scientific Publishing

Guided by the vision of their expert editors-in-chief, AACR’s ten scientific journals provide a vital forum for high-impact discoveries that span the full spectrum of basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological cancer research.

ACKNOWLEDGING OUTSTANDING EDITORIAL SERVICE: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH

Published since 1995, Clinical Cancer Research (CCR) is the premier publication venue for innovative clinical and translational research bridging the laboratory and the clinic. The enduring success of the journal is due in large part to its superior editorial leadership. In a year of editorial transition, AACR gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the editors-in-chief who served CCR in 2025:

Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR (editor-in-chief, 2017–2025). Upon assuming the editorship of CCR in January 2017, Dr. Flaherty worked to refine the journal’s scope and enhance its reputation as a forum for paradigm-shifting clinical research. CCR has published nearly 1,000 articles that share the results of high-impact clinical trials during Dr. Flaherty’s term as editor-in-chief.
Throughout his tenure, Dr. Flaherty’s leadership further elevated the status of CCR in the field; during his term of service, the journal posted the highest Impact Factor of its distinguished 30-year history.
Dr. Flaherty’s editorial vision included an understanding that sustaining the pipeline of translational and clinical cancer researchers is critical to driving progress against cancer. In support of that vision, in 2024, he established the Clinical Cancer Research Early Career Award to recognize early-career investigators who have authored original research articles that have made a significant impact in the areas represented by the journal.

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Flaherty’s leadership further elevated the status of CCR in the field; during his term of service, the journal posted the highest Impact Factor of its distinguished 30-year history.
Dr. Flaherty’s editorial vision included an understanding that sustaining the pipeline of translational and clinical cancer researchers is critical to driving progress against cancer. In support of that vision, in 2024, he established the Clinical Cancer Research Early Career Award to recognize early-career investigators who have authored original research articles that have made a significant impact in the areas represented by the journal.

Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD (editor-in-chief, 2025– ). In February, Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, assumed the role of editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Yap is the Ransom Horne, Jr., Endowed Professor for Cancer Research in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics (Phase I Program) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where he is also vice president and head of clinical development in the Therapeutics Discovery Division and associate director of translational research in the Khalifa Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy.
An AACR member since 2007, Dr. Yap is the chair of the AACR Special Conferences Committee and a member of the AACR Clinical Trials Advisory Council and the AACR Task Force on Precision Combination Therapy. He also served as the chair of the AACR Annual Meeting Clinical Trials Committee from 2021–2023. Dr. Yap trained junior faculty in the essentials of effective clinical trial design as a faculty member for the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop from 2017–2022, and he currently serves as the AACR codirector for the 2026 workshop.
During his first year as editor-in-chief, Dr. Yap has prioritized the publication of first-in-class, first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials involving drugs with novel mechanisms that are associated with predictive biomarkers of response and resistance. He is also interested in expanding the journal’s impact in a wide range of areas, with a particular focus on antibody-drug conjugates, combination therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, and immunotherapy. Under his leadership, CCR will further strengthen its position as the leading publication forum for transformative translational and clinical research.

An AACR member since 2007, Dr. Yap is the chair of the AACR Special Conferences Committee and a member of the AACR Clinical Trials Advisory Council and the AACR Task Force on Precision Combination Therapy. He also served as the chair of the AACR Annual Meeting Clinical Trials Committee from 2021–2023. Dr. Yap trained junior faculty in the essentials of effective clinical trial design as a faculty member for the AACR/ASCO Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop from 2017–2022, and he currently serves as the AACR codirector for the 2026 workshop.
During his first year as editor-in-chief, Dr. Yap has prioritized the publication of first-in-class, first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials involving drugs with novel mechanisms that are associated with predictive biomarkers of response and resistance. He is also interested in expanding the journal’s impact in a wide range of areas, with a particular focus on antibody-drug conjugates, combination therapies, radiopharmaceuticals, and immunotherapy. Under his leadership, CCR will further strengthen its position as the leading publication forum for transformative translational and clinical research.

ACKNOWLEDGING OUTSTANDING EDITORIAL SERVICE: MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS

Since its launch in 2001, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (MCT) has benefited from the expert guidance of its editors to become a vital forum for translational research studies focused on the discovery and preclinical development of therapeutic agents for oncology. As the journal undergoes a change in leadership, AACR recognizes the contributions of the editors-in-chief who served MCT in 2025:

Beverly Teicher, PhD (editor-in-chief, 2019–2025). As she began her term as editor of MCT in January 2019, Dr. Teicher recognized the evolution of cancer therapeutics into a diverse spectrum of experimental treatments and worked to ensure that the journal evolved to accommodate that full spectrum. She expanded the scope of the journal to incorporate all experimental therapeutics with the potential to move forward into clinical development, including small molecules and vaccines as well as protein-based, RNA-based, virus-based, cell-based, and gene-based therapeutics.
Dr. Teicher also introduced “First Disclosures in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics,” a showcase for therapeutics published in the literature for the first time. During her tenure, this new journal section highlighted nearly 70 of these first-ever disclosures. Dr. Teicher’s commitment to innovation further raised the profile of MCT in the field of molecular therapeutics, resulting in the journal earning the highest impact factor ranking in its history.

Dr. Teicher also introduced “First Disclosures in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics,” a showcase for therapeutics published in the literature for the first time. During her tenure, this new journal section highlighted nearly 70 of these first-ever disclosures. Dr. Teicher’s commitment to innovation further raised the profile of MCT in the field of molecular therapeutics, resulting in the journal earning the highest impact factor ranking in its history.

Daniel K. Nomura, PhD (editor-in-chief, 2025– ). Daniel K. Nomura, PhD, began his term as editor-in-chief of MCT in February. Dr. Nomura is a professor of chemical biology and molecular therapeutics in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology in the Division of Molecular Therapeutics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also codirector of the Molecular Therapeutics Initiative at UC Berkeley and an investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute. He serves on the steering committee for the AACR Chemistry in Cancer Research Working Group, and he also served as a program committee cochair for the AACR Annual Meeting 2024.
In his inaugural editorial, Dr. Nomura pledged to make MCT a platform to showcase the revolutionary expansion of next-generation therapeutic modalities. Dr. Nomura plans to make MCT the journal of choice for first disclosures of novel cancer therapeutics as well as studies presenting new drug structures, innovative preclinical models, mechanistic insights, and novel treatment approaches. Under his leadership, MCT will maintain and expand its position as the premier publication venue for cutting-edge and emerging cancer therapies.

In his inaugural editorial, Dr. Nomura pledged to make MCT a platform to showcase the revolutionary expansion of next-generation therapeutic modalities. Dr. Nomura plans to make MCT the journal of choice for first disclosures of novel cancer therapeutics as well as studies presenting new drug structures, innovative preclinical models, mechanistic insights, and novel treatment approaches. Under his leadership, MCT will maintain and expand its position as the premier publication venue for cutting-edge and emerging cancer therapies.

Read Dr. Nomura's inaugural editorial in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics

ONGOING LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH INTEGRITY

AACR has a long-standing reputation in the cancer research community as a leader in promoting the reproducibility, replicability, and integrity of research findings. In past years, AACR journals have promoted the use of Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) to clearly identify the methods and materials in published articles, implemented automated screening tools to verify the originality of images, and required the deposit of datasets, custom code, and experimental protocols used in published studies.

In 2025, AACR became the first publisher to conduct and present a study evaluating a tool designed to detect the use of AI-generated text in submitted papers. This data continues to drive important discussions on the appropriate use of AI in scientific publishing.