Pioneering the Future of Respiratory Science
The story of a scientific revolution, told one breakthrough at a time.
In 1989, as the scientific world stood on the brink of a molecular revolution, the American Thoracic Society made a pivotal decision: to create a dedicated forum for the explosion of cellular and molecular approaches transforming lung research. Thus was born the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, affectionately known throughout the scientific community as the "Red Journal."
This month marks the 30th anniversary of this influential publication, which emerged in response to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's push for researchers to focus more on cellular and molecular mechanisms. The leadership recognized that novel molecular tools were creating unprecedented opportunities to understand lung biology in health and disease. Over three decades, the Red Journal has not just witnessed but actively curated the remarkable evolution of respiratory science, growing in both volume and sophistication to become a cornerstone of the field 1 .
The past thirty years have seen astonishing transformations in how respiratory science is conducted—revolutions that have been faithfully documented in the pages of the Red Journal.
In 1989, the World Wide Web was not yet publicly available, and email wouldn't become widespread until well into the 1990s. Researchers conducted science much differently than today—visiting biomedical libraries with photocopy cards in hand, submitting paper manuscripts through the mail, and receiving National Institutes of Health review comments on the infamous "pink sheets" that veterans of the era still recall. The launch of PubMed Central when the Journal was celebrating its 11th year represented just one of the many digital transformations that would reshape scientific practice 1 .
When the Red Journal was created, the term "omics"—referring to genetics, metabolism, proteins, and the microbiome—had not yet been coined. The Human Genome Project (completed in 2003) ushered in an era of genomic sequencing that most lung scientists now routinely use. The development of transgenic and gene knockout animals, followed by RNA interference (siRNA/shRNA) and more recently CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technologies, has provided researchers with powerful tools to explore gene function in health and disease 1 .
Allowing laboratories to study expression levels of entire genomes
Enabling measurement of transcriptomes in thousands of cells in parallel
Screening libraries of tens of thousands of molecules to identify drug candidates
For metabolomics and proteomics, measuring biomolecules in increasingly smaller samples
Mathematicians developed computational tools to extract meaning from otherwise incomprehensible datasets 1 .
The new tools and methods chronicled in the Red Journal have enabled respiratory scientists to make stunning advances in understanding lung biology. The visualizations below highlight key developments in treatment technologies and research focus areas over the journal's 30-year history.
Source: Adapted from physics contributions in the Red Journal 4
Source: Analysis of physics contributions in the Red Journal 4
Perhaps the most celebrated discovery has been the linking of mutations in CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) to cystic fibrosis. This fundamental understanding led to the development of CFTR modulator drugs that can potentiate, amplify, or correct protein defects from specific CFTR mutations, substantially alleviating symptoms for patients 1 .
The molecular biology revolution chronicled in the Red Journal's pages has been driven by specific technologies that deserve special attention.
Precise manipulation of genetic sequences to explore gene function and develop potential therapies 1 .
Measurement of transcriptomes in individual cells, revealing cellular heterogeneity in development and disease 1 .
Simultaneous sequencing of millions of DNA fragments, enabling whole-genome expression studies 1 .
Comprehensive analysis of protein expression, modifications, and interactions 1 .
Global measurement of small-molecule metabolites for understanding cellular processes 1 .
Computational and statistical methods for extracting meaning from complex biological datasets 1 .
As the Red Journal celebrates this milestone, it continues to look forward. The publication is currently highlighting emerging areas poised for dramatic growth, including "Single-Cell Approaches to Understanding Lung Biology" and "Lung Cell Senescence in Health and Disease" 1 .
Beyond the initial Cas9 systems, base editing, prime editing, and CRISPR-based epigenetic modulation are propelling the technology toward therapeutic applications in oncology, genetic disorders, and viral infections 2 .
This emerging technique allows precise modification of a molecule's core structure by inserting, deleting, or exchanging atoms, potentially catalyzing a new wave of innovation in medicinal chemistry 2 .
As AI dominates scientific discussions, the focus is shifting from algorithms to data quality—developing specialized datasets and compound AI systems to advance drug repurposing and computer-aided design 2 .
The future of respiratory science will be shaped by interdisciplinary collaboration, advanced computational methods, and increasingly precise molecular tools that bridge the gap between basic research and clinical application.
Over its 30-year history, the Red Journal has evolved from a promising newcomer to an established chronicle of scientific progress. It has documented the field's transformation from individual gene studies to system-wide omics approaches, from symptom management to curative strategies, and from isolated research efforts to global collaborative science.
The journal's pages tell the story of how respiratory science grew up—moving from technical possibility to clinical reality, from understanding basic mechanisms to developing transformative therapies. As it enters its fourth decade, the Red Journal remains committed to publishing the best science related to pulmonary cellular, biochemical, molecular, developmental, genetic, and immunologic studies.
The mission that began in 1989 continues with renewed purpose: to provide a forum for disseminating emerging work that pushes the frontiers of respiratory science forward. For researchers, clinicians, and patients alike, this commitment ensures that the next 30 years will be just as revolutionary as the last 1 .