This five year anniversary issue marks the perfect occasion to discuss the principles upon which Dissolution Technologies was founded. In essence, the publication was started because of my personal role in a dissolution laboratory. My day-to-day experiences in the dissolution laboratory convinced me that there was a definite need for a targeted publication on the complexities of dissolution testing and its applications. Hence, this publication was founded in 1994 with the overall objective of keeping the dissolution user informed of new developments in the field of dissolution testing while conveying useful information on the day-to-day issues related to dissolution applications. The publication was designed to be a discussion forum for scientific, regulatory and practical applications related to dissolution testing.

Has Dissolution Technologies achieved its lofty objectives? In retrospect, I feel that the publication has made great strides towards accomplishing the objectives that were set forth. Over the past five years, the regulatory role of dissolution testing has increased significantly resulting in close scrutiny of dissolution test equipment, media selection, method parameters, methodology, applications, and specifications. In response, Dissolution Technologies has featured articles on pertinent dissolution developments in regard to:
· new regulatory and industry testing guidances,
· refinements in instrumentation and techniques,
· instrumentation calibration procedures, and
· method development, validation and specifications for various dosage designs.

To strengthen and focus its editorial content, Dissolution Technologies established an Editorial Advisory Board in 1998. The editorial board members represent the spectrum of scientific disciplines with dissolution experts from regulatory agencies, academia, and various aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. The scientific content of the publication has been heightened by the implementation of the "peer review" process of submitted articles which is currently facilitated by the editorial advisory board. Another notable achievement for Dissolution Technologies is the increased dissemination of its scientific content via citation references on scientific databases such as Chemical Abstract Services and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. In addition, the launching of the Dissolution Technologies' website (www.dissolutiontech.com) has greatly enhanced the global presence, recognition and distribution of the publication.

Even though the accomplishments for Dissolution Technologies over the past five years have been significant, I feel that the publication still has a definite potential for future growth. Of course, the future growth of Dissolution Technologies depends on the current as well as future applications of dissolution testing. So, what are the current and future roles for dissolution testing? This question is addressed by biopharmaceutical and dissolution experts from regulatory, industry and academia in the article "Role of Dissolution Testing: Regulatory, Industry and Academic Perspectives" featured in this issue of Dissolution Technologies. Each of the editorial perspectives confirmed that dissolution testing has evolved into a very valuable in vitro test for characterizing drug product performance but several key issues still remain regarding the methodology and its applications. These key issues will need to be addressed to maintain the scientific value of dissolution testing and to allow for the necessary growth in regard to dissolution applications. An essential element to effectively addressing the dissolution issues is communication between all of the various types of dissolution users and regulators. Therefore, Dissolution Technologies will continue to provide a global forum for regulatory, industry and academic scientists to openly discuss and exchange information on dissolution related topics.

The increased regulatory interest and demands on dissolution testing promise to create several future challenges for dissolution scientists. In response, Dissolution Technologies will focus on providing information that will help scientists address the future challenges. Of course, input from our readers is necessary to insure that we adequately address the issues that are pertinent.

I am looking forward to receiving your comments and suggestions.
Thank you for these successful and exciting first five years!

Cynthia K. Brown
Managing Editor
Dissolution Technologies, Inc.