LAUSR

IN this CYTO 2018 Prague meeting-dedicated issue of Cytometry Part A, we are continuing two loose traditions. One is to celebrate the CYTO conference with a cutting-edge topical special issue that highlights new fields for cytometry and the announcement of changes to the board of Associate Editors. The first tradition we started three years ago at CYTO 2015 in Glasgow was by publishing a special issue on “Image Based Systems Biology,” guest edited by Thilo Figge and Robert Murphy (1,2) as the meeting issue. The CYTO 2016 Seattle issue was not a special issue but was dedicated to the start of the Cytometry Part A– ISAC Marylou Ingram Scholar’s mentorship program (3). It was later expanded to include ISAC SRL Emerging Leaders, and it is now known as the Cytometry Part A–ISAC mentorship program. As a matter of fact, the topical highlight for the CYTO 2016 conference was already published in February 2016, guest edited by Joanne Lannigan, John Nolan, and Robert Zucker and focused on submicron particles (4). The focus of last year’s CYTO 2017 Boston issue was to introduce a new era in cytometry: “Label-free Holographic Imaging.” This very successful issue was guest edited by Elena Holden and Gabriel Popescu (5,6) and I anticipate broadening the definition of cytometry into this new field. Now this Prague dedicated issue is focusing on “Quantitative Bioimage Analysis of Cell Characteristics,” guest edited by one of our new active Associate Editors Thilo Figge (7). I hope you enjoy this exciting collection of high level articles. In the realm of CYTO 2018 in Prague I want to inform you about changes and innovations introduced for further improvement of Cytometry Part A. Last year at the CYTO 2017 conference in Boston, we started the second tradition with the regular renewal program of our Editorial Board members, which is a part of the strategic plan for Cytometry Part A. This program is important in facilitating changes by allowing new ambitious colleagues to step into the footpaths of those who shaped the Journal for numerous years. The Associate Editors (AEs) of this journal are those who actively participate in defining what cytometry is and where it will go to by their scientific expertise and prestige in their specific research fields. It is not an easy step as our board is comprised of excellent scientists with a longstanding international expertise in their fields and additionally in cytometry. In the last year’s pilot initiative, three high-ranking cytometrists opened their positions to their successors. At the time of this 2018 announcement we have one outgoing and two incoming AEs. I want hereafter to recognize our outgoing AE and introduce the two newcomers.