Open access journal Itch launches

The new peer-reviewed, open access journal Itch launched online May 30. 

The official journal of the International Forum for the Study of Itch (IFSI), Itch publishes original scientific papers that contribute to the understanding of the basic mechanisms and clinical aspects of pruritus. Unlike a printed journal, Itch’s online format allows for papers to be published after they’ve been reviewed.

Dr. Lerner“The journal's scope will range from the molecular, genomic, proteomic and systems levels, to clinical diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes research,” according to the journal’s website. “Itch also publishes systematic reviews, commentaries, editorials, case reports and letters to the Editor.”

The journal takes a multidisciplinary look at pruritus, considering contributions from dermatology, internal medicine, neurology, neuroscience, allergy and immunology, psychology, pharmacology, palliative medicine and epidemiology.

“Itch is the most common symptom in dermatology. And, at the current time, information on itch is spread through a variety of journals—not just dermatology, but also allergy, kidney, GI, internal medicine and oncology journals,” Itch Editor-In-Chief Ethan A. Lerner, M.D., Ph.D., tells Dermatology Times. “Having a centralized repository of information within a single journal makes a lot of sense.

Dr. Lerner, who is associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, says the journal’s launch is particularly timely, given the fact that decent treatments for itch are only now starting to become available.

“So the journal,” he says. “provides a forum for not just clinicians and academicians but also for industry.”