@ERSpublicationsThe #ERJ launches a new Back to Basics section discussing novel concepts in basic science and translational medicine http://ow.ly/y8SL5We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert EinsteinThe European Respiratory Journal (ERJ), the flagship publication of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), is launching a new section on novel concepts in physiology, immunology, biology and translational medicine [1,2]. Within this Back to Basics section, we aim to present cutting edge knowledge and emerging ideas on topics relevant to respiratory medicine. Basic scientific findings represent the essential foundation for advances in clinical medicine, and a close and continuous exchange between basic and clinical scientists is key to improved diagnosis and therapy for our patients. This new section underlines the importance of discussing basic scientific findings and their potential for translation into clinical practice, which will ultimately lead to better patient care.The new Back to Basics section will comprise several formats that comprehensively highlight the different aspects and multifaceted implications of basic science for clinical medicine. These articles will be published back to back with the best original work in respiratory science and medicine in the ERJ, and will include conference reports and summaries, translational reviews, and stand-alone editorials.''Science should thread through all the society's activities'' [3]: one of the major objectives of the ERS is to foster respiratory science and scientific exchange by promoting basic, epidemiological and clinical research in respiratory medicine. Several ERS activities aim to fulfil these objectives, including the Lung Science Conference, in which the very best of international lung science research is presented and discussed between young doctoral and postdoctoral scientists with established investigators. Moreover, ERS research seminars on hot topics bring together researchers from within and outside lung medicine, and are meant to be think tanks on how to develop a specific research field for the future. The ERJ provided conference and seminar reports in the past, and will continue to do so on a regular basis in order to disseminate and multiply major findings and discussions arising from these activities [4][5][6].One of the main pillars of the new Back to Basics section will be translational review articles on basic science topics, which will cover exciting scientific advances in all fields of respiratory medicine and thoracic surgery. Recent developments and novel concepts will be put into context and new strategies, but also limitations and possibly translational gaps, will be outlined for a better understanding of prevention, diagnosis or