Many of us were saddened to hear of Michael Waring's death in November 2019 and wanted to do something to convey our admiration for his life in science, and to express our personal gratitude for his friendship, mentorship, and general guidance over many years. Michael was one of the founders of the small‐molecule–DNA interaction field and this special issue in his honour is a small token of appreciation for all that he meant to us.

Michael did his Ph.D. in the Microbiology Unit of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge (UK). He investigated the effect of the antibiotic actinomycin D on metabolism and found that it inhibited RNA synthesis through binding to DNA and blocking the action of RNA polymerase. This was the starting point for Michael's scientific career that focussed on small molecules that bind to DNA and their use as chemotherapeutic agents. After Cambridge, he then spent a few years in Roy Britten's group at the Carnegie Institution for Science (USA). During this time he discovered satellite DNA as a very rapidly reannealing fraction in eukaryotes that contained highly repeated sequences, which was of course in the days well before DNA sequencing and genomics. Michael returned to Cambridge in 1965 and worked on molecules that bind to DNA by intercalation, extending the model that had been proposed by Leonard Lerman.^[1] He published seminal papers on the interaction of ethidium with DNA, one of which has now been cited nearly 2000 times.^[2] Andrew Travers has written on Michael's contribution to our understanding of DNA structure and function in this issue, though many of us will also remember Michael for his extensive explorations of drug–DNA interactions, on which he published several books, the most recent in 2018.^[3] Many of his early pioneering experiments were performed with the Beckmann model E analytical ultracentrifuge, measuring the effects of various molecules on the sedimentation of supercoiled DNA. These experiments together with other biophysical techniques established that many natural and synthetic compounds, including actinomycin D, bind to DNA by intercalation.^[4] Meticulous studies on the effect of drugs on DNA viscosity were also performed (demonstrating the lengthening that accompanies intercalation) together with investigations into the kinetics and thermodynamics of drug binding. In 1974, together with Lawrence Wakelin, then a Ph.D. student, but who would stay as a postdoc, Michael published his first paper on echinomycin, which he showed as the first example of a bis‐intercalator.^[5] This antibiotic and its derivatives formed the basis for many years of work, investigating its mode of binding, sequence‐specificity, kinetics and biological properties. It was but one of many DNA‐binding drugs that were studied in Michael's group.

Numerous scientific careers were established as Ph.D. students and postdocs in his laboratory with whom he published a staggering number of papers, including Lawrence Wakelin (16 papers); myself, Keith Fox, (33 papers); Jose Portugal (eight papers) and Christian Bailly (68 papers). He certainly gave us excellent training in how to write research papers. I am delighted that Lawrence, Christian and Jose have all contributed to this special issue. Michael's lab was one of the first to use DNA footprinting to study the sequence‐specific binding of drugs to DNA, and I am personally immensely grateful for the opportunity to learn this technique in Michael's group, aided and encouraged by Horace Drew (then working in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the University of Cambridge), which has been a mainstay of my career.

Michael was impossible to define, he was a real polymath. He held academic positions in the Pharmacology and Biochemistry Departments at the University of Cambridge, yet was comfortable as a structural biologist or biophysicist, and his personal chair was as Professor of Chemotherapy. In wider life, amongst many other things, he was an organist (once giving an impromptu 30 min recital on visiting a church during a scientific meeting in Brno), an airline pilot (he was proud to hold a professional pilot's license in New Zealand and he once flew me from Southampton to a conference in Madrid), a wine connoisseur (he was Jesus College's wine steward for many years) and published on monumental brass rubbing.^[6]

This short collection of articles, published in Biopolymers, is a small token to his memory. They cover a breadth of research from antimalarial drugs to DNA quadruplexes, and naturally, intercalating agents. DNA was of course the biopolymer to which he devoted most of his academic life.

Michael was slightly eccentric, but a pleasure to know. He leaves a substantial scientific legacy, not only of his publications on the mode of action of many DNA binding drugs, but in the people that he trained. Indeed many of them are now in senior positions with their own students and postdocs, continuing the study of DNA‐binding drugs and the search for new therapeutic agents. On hearing of his death, one of his collaborators wrote,

'He was a true friend and exceptional mentor who greatly contributed not only to my scientific career but countless others as well. He will always be remembered not only for his scientific contributions to the field of nucleic acids, but for his quick humour, prowess as a pilot, and his genuine enjoyment of living life to the fullest'.

听到迈克尔·沃林（Michael Waring）于2019年11月去世的消息，我们中的许多人感到难过，并想做一些事情来表达我们对他在科学界的一生的钦佩，并对他多年来的友谊，指导和一般指导表示个人感谢。迈克尔是小分子-DNA相互作用领域的创始人之一，以此纪念他的特刊对他对我们意味着的一切表示赞赏。

迈克尔完成了博士学位。在英国剑桥大学生物化学系的微生物学系任教。他研究了抗生素放线菌素D对代谢的影响，发现它通过与DNA结合并阻止RNA聚合酶的作用来抑制RNA的合成。这是迈克尔科学事业的起点，该科学事业专注于与DNA结合的小分子及其作为化学治疗剂的用途。剑桥大学毕业后，他在美国卡内基科学研究所（Carnegie Institute for Science）的罗伊·布里顿（Roy Britten）小组工作了几年。在此期间，他发现卫星DNA是真核生物中非常快速的重退火部分，其中包含高度重复的序列，这当然是在DNA测序和基因组学问世的前几天。^{[ 1 ]}他发表了关于乙锭与DNA相互作用的开创性论文，其中一篇已被引用近2000次。^{[ 2 ]}安德鲁·特拉弗斯（Andrew Travers）写了迈克尔对我们在这一问题上对DNA结构和功能的理解所做的贡献，尽管我们中许多人也会记得迈克尔对药物与DNA相互作用的广泛探索，他出版了几本书，这是最新著作。在2018年。^{[ 3 ]}他的许多早期开创性实验都是使用Beckmann E型分析超速离心机进行的，用于测量各种分子对超螺旋DNA沉积的影响。这些实验与其他生物物理技术一起证明，许多天然和合成的化合物（包括放线菌素D）通过嵌入与DNA结合。^{[ 4 ]}还对药物对DNA粘度的影响进行了细致的研究（证明了插入过程的延长）以及对药物结合动力学和热力学的研究。1974年，与当时的博士学位的劳伦斯·韦克林（Lawrence Wakelin）一起。学生，但仍会留为博士后，迈克尔发表了关于棘皮霉素的第一篇论文，他将其作为抗衰老的第一个例子进行了展示。bis嵌入器。^{[ 5 ]}这种抗生素及其衍生物构成了多年工作的基础，研究了其结合方式，序列特异性，动力学和生物学特性。这只是迈克尔小组研究的许多与DNA结合的药物之一。

建立了许多科学职业，成为博士学位。他的实验室中的学生和博士后，与他一起发表了惊人的论文，其中包括劳伦斯·韦克林（Lawrence Wakelin）（16篇论文）；我自己，基思·福克斯（Keith Fox），（33篇论文）；何塞·葡萄牙（八篇论文）和克里斯蒂安·拜利（六十八篇论文）。当然，他为我们提供了撰写研究论文的出色培训。我很高兴劳伦斯，克里斯蒂安和何塞都为这一特刊做出了贡献。迈克尔的实验室是最早使用DNA足迹技术研究药物与DNA的序列特异性结合的实验室之一，我个人非常感谢在霍拉斯·德鲁（Horace Drew）的帮助和鼓励下，有机会在迈克尔的小组中学习这项技术。 （剑桥大学分子生物学实验室），这是我职业生涯的中流tay柱。

迈克尔无法定义，他是一个真正的多面手。他曾在剑桥大学药理学和生物化学系担任学术职务，但作为结构生物学家或生物物理学家感到很自在，他的个人主席是化学疗法教授。在更广泛的生活中，他是一名风琴演奏家（曾经在布尔诺的一次科学会议上一次拜访教堂时即兴演奏了30分钟即兴演奏），一名航空飞行员（他为在新西兰和美国获得专业飞行员执照而感到自豪他曾经带我从南安普敦带我去马德里的一个会议），一位葡萄酒鉴赏家（他是耶稣学院的葡萄酒管理人很多年），并发表了巨大的黄铜摩擦著作。^{[ 6 ]}

这本简短的文章集发表在《生物聚合物》上，这只是他记忆中的一个小记号。它们涵盖了从抗疟疾药物到DNA四链体以及天然嵌入剂的广泛研究。DNA当然是他大部分时间都致力于研究的生物聚合物。

迈克尔有些古怪，但很高兴知道。他留下了实质性的科学遗产，不仅是他的著作发表了许多结合DNA的药物的作用方式，而且还留下了他受过训练的人们的著作。实际上，他们中的许多人现在已经与自己的学生和博士后一起担任高级职位，继续进行DNA结合药物的研究和寻找新的治疗剂。听到他的死亡，他的一位合作者写道：

他是一位真正的朋友和杰出的导师，不仅为我的科学事业做出了巨大贡献，而且为无数其他人做出了巨大贡献。人们将永远不仅仅因为他在核酸领域的科学贡献，而且因为他的幽默，作为飞行员的能力以及对充实生活的真正享受而被人们铭记。