Gabriele Costantino

Editorial

Dear Colleagues,

This issue of MedChemWatch opens with an interesting perspective, by Siegfried Schneider (Boehringer Ingelheim, Vienna), covering several aspects related to the outsourcing of medicinal chemistry projects to the so-called new economy’s countries, China and India in particular. This process is driven by the need of big pharmaceutical companies to face the challenge of R&D productivity and it is a tendency that many of us, especially those working in industry, have experienced bringing significant changes in their professional lives. Outsourcing, however, is also offering new challenges to people working in academia. In a sense, it asks for a continuous increase in productivity and specialization. In an other one, it offers opportunity to exploit established know-how to spin off new initiatives that can also productively translate into occasion for high-level, qualified formation. A very nice example is given by the presentation of the activity of Latvian Organic Synthesis Institute (Riga), which was one of the most important institute members of the former USSR Academy of Science, and which has now kept its ability to integrate focused organic synthesis with later steps of the drug discovery process, thus offering an integrated platform for international collaboration as well as high level education.

In this issue of MedChemWatch, we continue presenting new SME or biotech, with the idea of disseminating information which can eventually result in new opportunity for collaboration or formation. Now is the turn of Hybrigenics, (Paris), and we will be very glad to receive and publish further contributions from all the Europe.

We are entering 2010, and as in all the even years, there will be the International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (ISMC), the core event of EFMC which will be held in Brussels, September 5-9. Registrations are just open, and don’t miss the opportunity to attend to the world’s largest event in Medicinal Chemistry.

I am sure that many of us will appreciate the report by Henk Timmerman on the history of the ISMC meetings. We are now facing the XXI edition, and it is nice to re-think and remember the road (and the growth) that our community made over the last forty years.

The XXI-ISMC is the occasion in which EFMC awards will be assigned, and the call for candidatures in now open. This year, two prizes will be also assigned to young researcher (below 35) working in academia and industry, respectively. Again, the call is open, and on behalf of EFMC, I encourage all the young colleagues to send their CVs.

Another event which will mark this forthcoming year is the launch of MedChemComm, published by the RSC as the official journal of EFMC. You will find further information and the call for papers in the journal’s home page (http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/md/Index.asp)

As usual, this issue will also contain information on the activity of the EC of EFMC and news from the member societies. I invite you to read these information and, especially, to use this space to disseminate your events. Finally, when you read these notes, the IMI second call 2009 will be open. This a great opportunity for funding excellent cooperative projects. You will find further information in the Gran Alert section.

Last, I keep inviting you to circulate this Newsletter to your next colleague, inviting him/her to register (it’s free, at the EFMC home page, www.efmc.info) and stay up to date with all the EFMC events and initiatives.

Gabriele Costantino
Editor

 


Editor

Gabriele Costantino
Univ. Parma, IT

Editorial Committee

Erden Banoglu
Gazi Univ., TR

Leonardo Scapozza
Univ. of Geneve, CH

Wolfgang Sippl
Univ. Halle-Wittenberg, DE

Kristian Stromgaard
Univ. Copenhagen, DK

Mark Lansdell
Pfizer, UK

Executive Committee

Gerhard Ecker President
Roberto Pellicciari Past-Pres.
Koen Augustyns Secretary
Rasmus P.Clausen Treasurer
Javier Fernandez Member
Mark Bunnage Member
Peter Matyus Member

For more information please contact info@efmc.info

MedChemComm