Lucio G. Costa and Michael Aschner

Lucio G. Costa (left) is currently Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. Dr Costa is a renowned neurotoxicologist whose research interests are focused on understanding the role of neurotoxic substances in neurodevelopmental disorders and other neurological, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Michael Aschner (right) is the Gray E. B. Stahlman Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as well as a Senior Investigator at the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development. Dr Aschner's research group has a particular interest in the neurobiology and physiology of astrocytes and the signaling mechanisms associated with central nervous system injury. Dr Costa and Dr Aschner are Section Editors for the Toxicology section in BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology. Read more about the key issues in this field and the manuscripts they would like to see submitted to the section in their interview with the journal.

"We are interested in original research and review papers that address the interactions of chemicals with biological systems. The manuscripts may include basic research of molecular mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal physiology to define novel therapeutic targets; translational research to adapt observations from the laboratory to patients; clinical research to examine the behavior of novel therapeutics in humans; basic research to identify molecular mechanisms and targets of xenobiotics; and population research to identify health outcomes associated with exposures to environmental agents and xenobiotics."