PRESS RELEASE FROM NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

27 February 2006

Embargo: for immediate release

Contact: David Swinbanks

Nature Publishing Group

+81 3 3267 8764

Nature Publishing Group to publish Immunology and Cell Biology

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) and the Australasian Society for Immunology (ASI) today announce an agreement for NPG to publish in partnership with the Society its flagship journal, Immunology and Cell Biology, from January 2007.

Tokyo-based NPG Publishing Director David Swinbanks said "Immunology and Cell Biology is a superb addition to the program of partnerships between NPG Nature Asia-Pacific and key scientific and clinical organizations across the Asia-Pacific region"

"We are excited to be working with the Australasian Society for Immunology to further develop a journal with an already well-established reputation for quality"

"There is tremendous enthusiasm among members of the ASI for this partnership. We see it is a fantastic opportunity to bring exposure of our journal to a new level.” the President of the ASI, Dr Philip Hodgkin, said in Melbourne.

Professor Chris Parish, long time Editor of Immunology and Cell Biology further commented “This represents a wonderful opportunity for ICB to develop partnerships with other Immunology and Molecular Cell Biology journals published by NPG, a process that will help to enhance the editorial content and international reputation of ICB."

Immunology and Cell Biology (ICB) has an illustrious 75 year history of publishing high-quality international research. Its focus on the broad fields of immunology and cell biology and its status as one of the leading basic biological research journals in the Asia-Pacific region makes it an ideal addition to NPG’s portfolio of journals. This partnership is a part of a major initiative of NPG Nature Asia-Pacific, a newly formed division of NPG with offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Melbourne, in which it will partner with scientific societies in this region to produce high-quality journals (see link below for more information). ICB will be joining NPG’s stable of highly respected journals in Immunology and Molecular Cell Biology, which include Nature Immunology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Reviews Immunology, The EMBO Journal and Genes and Immunity.

This new partnership will provide many benefits for authors of ICB papers and readers of the journal. Papers published in the journal will receive high exposure through nature.com, which currently has an average of 30 million page downloads per month, more press coverage and quick publication, including publication ahead of print.

ICB will be able to take advantage of NPG’s strengths: top-class editorial expertise, pioneering technologies, innovative formats and world-class production to provide premium information for scientific researchers in the public and private sectors, government agencies and educators.

Another key strength of NPG is its close relationship with the scientific community. By working in partnership with scientists, listening to what they say, and always placing emphasis on quality rather than quantity, NPG is the leading scientific publisher at finding innovative solutions to scientists' information needs, both for the Nature-branded publications and those, like ICB, published in partnership.

About ASI

The Australasian Society for Immunology Incorporated (ASI) was created by the amalgamation in 1991 of the Australian Society for Immunology, formed in 1970, and the New Zealand Society for Immunology, formed in 1975. The aim of the Society is to encourage and support the discipline of immunology in the Australasian region. It is a broadly-based Society, embracing clinical and experimental, cellular and molecular immunology in humans and animals. The Society provides a network for the exchange of information and for collaboration within Australia, New Zealand and overseas. Further information is available at www.wehi.edu.au/collegiate/ASI/index.html.

About NPG

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic, professional scientific and medical communities. NPG's flagship title, Nature, is the world's most highly-cited weekly multidisciplinary journal and was first published in 1869. Other publications and services include Nature research journals, Nature Reviews, Nature Clinical Practice, a range of prestigious academic journals, including society-owned publications, news content from and scientific career information from Naturejobs.

NPG is a global company, with headquarters in London and offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Tokyo, Paris, Munich, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Gurgaon and Basingstoke. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.

Contact details:

David Swinbanks
Publishing Director,
NPG Nature Asia-Pacific
Tokyo, Japan
T: +81 3 3267 8764
E: / Dr Philip Hodgkin
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research
Melbourne, Australia
T: +61 3 9345 2338
F: +61 3 9347 0852
E:
Nick Campbell
Assistant Publisher
NPG Nature Asia-Pacific
Melbourne, Australia
T: +61 3 9825 1028
F: +61 3 9825 1010
E:

Links:

NPG Nature Asia-Pacific: www.macmillan.com/09012006NPSAsiaPacificFinal.asp

Australasian Society for Immunology: www.wehi.edu.au/collegiate/ASI/index.html

Nature Publishing Group: www.nature.com

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