The Hottest Research of 1998
Scientists Ranked by Number of Hot Papers
Time once again for Science Watch to take its customary look back at the citation highlights of last year’s research. Above are the researchers who, at the end of 1998, had published at least five highly cited reports during the preceding two years, according to the latest update of ISI’s Hot Papers Database.Among the hot scientists, John C. Reed of the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, California, vaults from last spot in the 1997 roundup to the top of this year’s ranking. Over the last two years, Reed has fielded nine highly cited reports on cytochrome c, Bcl-2, and other aspects of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Among the coauthors on one of those papers is Reed’s Burnham Institute colleague Guy S. Salvesen, who earned a spot on the list by virtue of his four additional hot reports on caspases, a protein family involved in apoptosis.
A name new to Science Watch takes the #2 spot in this year’s honor roll: Hans-Joachim Gabius of the LMU University of Munich. Gabius appears on eight hot papers on the cell-agglutinating proteins known as lectins. Among other topics, Gabius's papers discuss the use of lectins for research into protein-carbohydrate interaction, tumor formation, and drug design.
| Rank | Name | Institution | Field | No. of Hot Papers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John C. Reed | Burnham Institute | Cell Biology | 9 |
| 2 | Hans-Joachim Gabius | LMU University of Munich | Biochemistry | 9 |
| 3 | Bert Vogelstein | HHMI, Johns Hopkins University | Molecular Biology | 7 |
| Kenneth W. Kinzler | Johns Hopkins University | Molecular Biology | 7 | |
| 4 | J. Craig Venter | Institute for Genomic Research | Genomics | 6 |
| Ronald M. Evans | HHMI, Salk Institute | Genetics | 6 | |
| 5 | Xiaodong Wang | UT Southwestern Med. Cntr. | Cell Biology | 5 |
| Mark D. Adams | Institute for Genomic Research | Genomics | 5 | |
| Scott M. Hammer | Harvard University | Virology | 5 | |
| Hamilton O. Smith | Johns Hopkins University | Genomics | 5 | |
| Granger G. Sutton | Institute for Genomic Research | Genomics | 5 | |
| Christopher K. Glass | U. Calif., San Diego | Cell Biology | 5 | |
| Douglas D. Richman | U. Calif., San Diego | Virology | 5 | |
| Richard A. Flavell | HHMI, Yale University | Immunology | 5 | |
| Laszlo Nagy | Salk Institute | Genetics | 5 | |
| Gillian P. Bates | Guys Hospital | Molecular Genetcs | 5 | |
| Stephen W. Davies | University College London | Molecular Genetics | 5 | |
| Guy Salvesen | Burnham Institute | Cell Biology | 5 | |
| Sharon L. Rogers | Eisai Inc. | Pharmacology | 5 | |
| Lawrence T. Friedhoff | Eisai Inc. | Pharmacology | 5 |
Source: ISI's Hot Papers Database, Nov./Dec. 1996-Nov./Dec. 1998
http://archive.sciencewatch.com/march-april99/sw_march-april99_page1.htm, 21.10.2009