Does the bladder matter enough to have its own journal?

Yes, it surely does. Urinary bladder conditions such as urinary incontinence, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), bacterial cystitis, and bladder cancer are common, inflicting significant morbidity and mortality, resulting in high costs to healthcare systems and societies across the globe. Given these facts, a biomedical research journal dedicated to basic, translational and clinical research which result in a better understanding of how the bladder (and lower urinary tract) functions and dysfunctions is needed.

The scientific disciplines applicable to bladder research are diverse. Bladder (ISSN 2327-2120) would welcome manuscripts of original investigations in disciplines such as (in alphabetic order and representing some, but not all, possibilities): aging biology, bacteriology, biomechanics, cancer biology, cell biology, clinical trials, developmental biology, epidemiology, epigenetics, genetics, geriatrics, infectious disease, immunology, neuroscience, smooth muscle biology, stem cell biology, urodynamics, urothelial biology, and vascular biology. The “life cycle” of the bladder involves embryologic development, achievement of social continence (toilet training), ability to resist infections and cancer, and continued maintenance of efficient storage and emptying of urine. During this “life cycle”, clinical bladder conditions of sensory and detrusor smooth muscle dysfunction, ineffective storage/emptying, bladder outlet obstruction, anatomic prolapse, and/or urothelial carcinoma may occur. These “life cycle” events demonstrate the complexities of the bladder. A journal dedicated to understanding these complexities is an idea whose time has come.

This new biomedical research journal provides a bladder focused forum for researchers worldwide to publish their latest findings which would otherwise be scattered among other broader scope journals. Bladder is dedicated to providing high quality, fair peer-review with a fast turnaround time. With open access publishing, authors maintain their own copyright and can share their published work freely, including their illustrations, pictures and figures. Bladder’s Editorial Board is composed of internationally renowned bladder investigators who will help this journal achieve its goals. We, as co-Editors-in-Chief, with a history of basic, translational and clinical research experiences, bring breadth and depth to editorial management of Bladder. Ultimately, our goal is to make Bladder a high impact journal that will be the “go to” journal for bladder research.

Yes, the bladder deserves a journal of its own.