DMCCB Newsletter #1 - August 2015

Dear Members of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology,

This is the first edition of our newsletter, created to improve communication and foster the sharing of information within our division. It will be sent out on a regular basis to highlight news and events in a very concise form, offering links to further information. To design it in a way that best suits your interests, we would be grateful for your input on the content, format and frequency of this newsletter (link to the survey). We are looking forward to your suggestions and comments.

News from the DMCCB

• We are happy to welcome Prof. Christian Heinis (EPFL), who joined the board of the DMCCB. His network and expertise will help the division represent the interests of chemical biology in addition to medicinal chemistry. He also kindly accepted to take the lead for this newsletter.
• The DMCCB has co-organized the Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry meeting with the German GDCh and DPhG. The meeting took place in Marburg last March and was quite stimulating. For those interested, a conference report can now be found in ChemMedChem 2015 10(7) 1267-1271.

Your opinion

The DMCCB regularly organizes mini-symposium on specific themes in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. We would like to hear from you which subjects would interest you most for future mini-symposia. Please let us know of your preferences from the following list of potential topics (link to the survey)

Upcoming Congresses and Symposia

• SCS Fall Meeting, 04.09.2015, EPFL Lausanne
  The largest annual scientific event in Switzerland, offering a unique opportunity for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and scientists from academia and industry to share the results of their research.
• Chirality - Upsides for Chemical Innovation, SCS-Syngenta Symposium, 15.10.2015, Stein (AG)
  With a focus on cutting-edge research in chirality and its role in life science, the highlight of the day will be the plenary lectures of Prof. Ben Feringa, Prof. Eric Jacobsen, Prof. Scott Miller and Prof. Manfred Reetz
• The Expanding Toolbox of Medicinal Chemistry
  SCT-DMCCB Joint Meeting, 16.10.2015, Dijon, FranceA review of advances in medicinal chemistry, including chemical biology, metabolite pattern optimization, structural biology, analytics and the development of clinical imaging tracers. This event is co-organized with the French Société de Chimie Thérapeutique.
• Life Sciences Switzerland 15-16.02.2016
  The DMCCB organizes a session in the LS² annual meeting, on the theme of “The Interdisciplinary Chemist”. It will illustrate the impact of our community, from early chemical biology to drug candidate development.

News from the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC)

• The DMCB is a member of the EFMC, which is an independent association representing medicinal chemistry societies in Europe. Its objective is to advance the science of medicinal chemistry by promoting cooperation and networking, by providing training and mentoring, by rewarding scientific excellence, and by facilitating communication and influencing stakeholders. The Swiss medicinal chemists and chemical biologists are represented by Georg Jaeschke in the EFMC Council, while the DMCCB president, Yves Auberson, is a member of the EFMC Executive Committee.

• A Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry meeting is organized every second year by the EFMC, in collaboration with the American Chemical Society (ACS). The next edition will take place in Antwerp, Belgium, from September 14-16, 2015, and be followed by the EFMC Young Medicinal Chemist Symposium on Sept 17. Another great opportunity to learn and network.

Did you know…that we regularly update the DMCCB website with news, events and lectures related to medicinal chemistry and chemical biology? Have a look, and let us know if we missed something.