Striking the Right Chord at EJI: Introducing Editor-in-Chief Matteo Iannacone and the Seamless Transfer Policy

Matteo Iannacone received his M.D. from the University of Milan, completed a residency in Internal Medicine, and earned a Ph.D. in Immunology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy. After postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) and at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), he returned to Milan, where he now serves as Director of the Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Professor of pathology, and Head of the Dynamics of Immune Responses Laboratory at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute and University. Having joined EJI's Executive Committee in 2021, he takes on the role of EJI's academic Editor-in-Chief starting January 2025.

My laboratory's work centers on understanding how immune responses are orchestrated within local tissue niches. Recent breakthroughs in intravital imaging and spatially resolved omics have enabled us to visualize and quantify interactions at cellular resolution in living organisms, revealing unprecedented details about how immune cells—and even nonimmune cells—behave and communicate.

In our lab, we combine these powerful tools—high-resolution imaging, single-cell sequencing, and advanced computational analyses—to dissect how local processes converge to influence immune outcomes. By focusing on phenomena such as how T cells exert immune surveillance and examining immunological crosstalk across different tissues, we aim to bridge the gap between discrete molecular events and broader physiological consequences. This holistic perspective is particularly relevant in complex conditions like infectious diseases and cancer, where local cell-to-cell interactions can be a pivotal driver of disease progression. Ultimately, our goal is to uncover novel principles of tissue immunity and leverage them for more precise immunotherapeutic strategies.

I have a long-standing appreciation for the European Journal of Immunology (EJI). Early in my career, I would often turn to EJI as a reliable source of rigorous immunological research. The journal's commitment to quality and its role in the global immunology community resonate strongly with my own vision. Furthermore, my time on the Executive Committee allowed me to be actively involved in strategic decisions. I feel privileged to succeed outstanding leaders, including our outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Chiara Romagnani, and to continue the legacy of excellence set by Jim Di Santo, whose 9-year term was remarkable. I am grateful to the entire EJI team for preserving the journal's values and scientific rigor through all kinds of challenges.

At the heart of my editorial vision lies a firm commitment to publishing rigorous, high-quality science while fostering an author-friendly environment. We have recently updated policies to enhance transparent communication between referees and authors, and we continue to strengthen our ties with EFIS to support young immunologists. Building on past success, we are also launching thematic special issues that reflect emerging trends in immunology involving many young immunologists as co-authors. Ultimately, by balancing top-notch scientific standards with supportive editorial practices, we aim to keep EJI a go-to journal for immunologists worldwide.

I am delighted to announce EJI's brand-new “Seamless Transfer Policy”, created to reduce the time and effort needed for authors whose manuscripts have already undergone thorough peer review elsewhere. Under this policy, if a manuscript has been rigorously assessed but not ultimately accepted by another journal, we can potentially use the existing reviews to expedite consideration at EJI. This means authors can benefit from a faster, more efficient path to publication, ensuring that sound science finds a home here without unnecessary repetition of the review process. We do, of course, maintain the same high-quality threshold for acceptance and require authors to share full editorial and peer review records from the previous submission.

While EJI is the official journal of EFIS, its authors and readership span the entire globe. We are thrilled to see submissions from diverse research areas and geographies, ranging from fundamental immunology to clinical-translational studies, and we encourage novel or “non-mainstream” topics as long as they meet our scientific criteria. We are preparing new special issues on emerging fields such as Spatial Immunology and more classic but still important topics like infection, immune dysregulation, and aging. Our doors are always open to our readers’ feedback on how we can improve author support and continue to publish robust immunological research that spans the discipline.

Beyond the lab and editorial responsibilities, I am an avid jazz piano player (Figure 1)—you might catch me performing at scientific conferences on occasion! It is a passion that nurtures creativity and improvisational thinking, qualities I find invaluable in the research environment. I am also a dedicated long-distance runner, which helps me maintain a balance between professional life and personal well-being. Finally, I care deeply about mentoring early-career researchers: seeing them flourish is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. I am proud to say that in 2024, several of my mentees won prestigious grants, including multiple ERC awards. Their successes fuel my commitment to support the next generation of immunologists.