Julia Turan, Managing Editor, Physiology News

Keith Siew, Scientific Editor, Physiology News

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.120.5

We think all of you will join us in saying thank <insert deity/expletive of your choosing> 2020 is coming to a close!

This year has seemed to last forever, and yet somehow gone by in the blink of an eye. We have all been challenged in ways we never expected – emotionally, physically, and mentally – often finding ourselves questioning our values and re-evaluating our priorities in life. And so, we felt it apt to take this moment to reflect on our time together and shared experiences.

In particular, we extend our deepest condolences and thoughts to our members and their families who have endured great loss. Too many, too soon. We also send our thanks and appreciation to our colleagues, friends and family in hospitals and laboratories across the world who have borne the burden, and sacrificed, to reduce the suffering of others. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude.

There is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

We are now armed with rapid antigen tests, which, while not perfect, allows for large- scale mass testing to root out the scourge of hidden cases. We have antiviral drugs such as remdesivir, which can reduce patient recovery time, and corticosteroids like dexamethasone or monoclonal antibody therapies to reduce mortality in the most severely ill and vulnerable.

Most excitingly, within days of writing this editorial, there have been three COVID-19 vaccine Phase III trials reporting effectiveness of up to 90% or greater, both in the young and old, and with early evidence of reduced transmission and decreased disease severity. We could simply not have wished for more. The ingenuity and collaborations forged between academia and industry have allowed us to achieve what was inconceivable but a year ago. Together we have harnessed the latest in RNA and viral technologies to shorten the timeline to develop, trial and mass manufacture vaccines from years to just a matter of months. A true medical marvel!

And as the holidays come and go, the new year will bring with it another great wave of change. The roll-out out of vaccine programmes, formalisation of new relations between the UK and EU, a change of power for our friends across the Atlantic Ocean, and a long and winding road to economic recovery. Within our own Society we say farewell and thanks to our first female president, Bridget Lumb, who has been a champion for positive change and overseen a focus on diversity and inclusivity in the Society, and we welcome our new president David Paterson who takes up this mantle.

We at the Physiology News Editorial Board wish to convey our warmest thanks to Sarah Hall, the outgoing Chair of the Education, Public Engagement and Policy Committee (EPEP), for all her support and the copious amount of time dedicated to the magazine over the years. And we welcome our new EPEP Chair, Lucy Green who provides oversight for our activities and we look forward to working with her on the strategic direction of the magazine in the years to come.

We (Julia and Keith) have had the pleasure of working together on the editorial leadership of Physiology News for 3 years now, and we are proud of our tireless Editorial Board, who have been bringing their energy and ideas to our meetings with an unfathomable gusto (and we all know how we feel about long Zoom meetings these days, so we really do appreciate it). Especially in these difficult times, we are proud to have maintained the quality and diversity of magazine content that we hope represents the voices of our Physiological Society members, and that is both responsive to current events and is also setting trends in the digital and print communications landscape for learned society magazines.

We look forward to a new year full of exciting potential. We will endeavour to further improve diversity and inclusion among our authorship and continue to innovate and improve the quality of Physiology News magazine.

So, for now friends, stay safe and enjoy the holidays. Hopefully with a slow return to normality, before the end of next year we will start to see more bums on seats in our lectures, the return of hustle and bustle around the labs, and dare we say a cheeky pint in Birmingham with far-flung colleagues after a poster session at Physiology 2021.