The NCCR Chemical Biology is organising the 2020 International Symposium on Chemical Biology to be held from January 22 to 24, 2020 at Campus Biotech in Geneva. This international meeting of high scientific calibre will bring together leading scientists to feature the latest advances within the broad field of Chemical Biology and foster an open and dynamic dialogue!

New international collaborations and increased international visibility will hopefully be the outcome of this unique learning experience that comprises extensive poster sessions, ample time for discussion after each talk and opportunities for targeted networking.

Three hundred participants from Swiss universities, various research institutes in Switzerland and neighbouring countries are expected to attend.

Registration will close on December 16, 2019.

The number of participants is limited to 300.

For more information contact nccr-chembio@unige.ch

This one-day symposium co-organised by the Swiss Chemical Society, Division Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and the Biological & Medicinal Chemistry Sector of the Royal Society of Chemistry, is dedicated to “Using Chemical Biology to identify new targets for Medicinal Chemistry”.

The topic of this second Anglo-Swiss symposium has been selected by our members among several proposals aiming at reinforcing the links between chemical biology, medicinal and agro chemistry, while being of importance in drug discovery and optimization programs.

Illustrating the role of chemical biology in the identification and validation of novel targets for medicinal chemistry will be of high interest to students in chemistry, pharmacy, biology, and to the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology community at large. The target audience is therefore composed of scientists from pharmaceutical and biotech industries, as well as colleagues from academia.

Confirmed Speakers:

• Prof. Yimon Aye (EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland)
• Dr. Mark Frigerio (Abzena, United kingdom)
• Dr. Dominic Hoepfner (Novartis, Switzerland)
• Prof. Maja Köhn (University of Freiburg, Germany)
• Prof. Daniel Romo (Baylor University, United States)
• Dr. Filip Roudnicky (F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland)
• Prof. Stephan Sieber (TU Munich, Germany)
• Prof. Kristian Strømgaard (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

The deadline for poster submission is January 13, 2020

For more information please contact: cornelia.zumbrunn@idorsia.com

The last decade has seen the rapid development of Late-stage functionalisation as a powerful method for enabling rapid SAR generation from a lead structure and allowing access to complex structures, biological probes and new chemical space where de-novo synthesis is not trivial. Both the inorganic catalyst and biocatalysis fields have seen new advancements over the last few years with the search for more efficient, selective, functional group tolerant, predictable methodology and new late stage transformations still a key focus. Not only are LSF methods of use in rapid SAR generation but are also finding great utility throughout the pharmaceutical industry, from metabolic identification to scale-up processes. The purpose of this meeting is to highlight some of the hot and emerging developments in the inorganic catalysis and biocatalysis arenas and both the academic and application of Late-stage functionalisation methodologies.

Early bird fees until December 13, 2019.

For more information contact: conferences@soci.org

Ion channels are important targets for therapeutic intervention due to their extensive roles in human physiology and the pathophysiology of disease. Many successful drugs targeting this gene family have been discovered for diseases such as hypertension, epilepsy and neuropathic pain. 

This symposium, the 6th in an ongoing series, will showcase the most recent advances to aid the design of new ion channel therapeutics and promote interaction between scientists with a shared interest in the field of ion channel drug discovery.

Deadline for abstract submission is November 15, 2019.

Early bird registration deadline is November 29, 2019.

Bursary application deadline is December 31, 2019.

Standard registration deadline is January 22, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

The Conference topics will include:

• G-protein coupled receptors
• Protein-protein interactions
• Activity-based protein profiling
• Carbohydrates/glycans
• Cellular chemistry
• Bioorthogonal and bioconjugation chemistry
• Fragment-based drug design
• Photopharmacology

Synthesis is at the heart of drug discovery and development. The industry has increasingly demanded higher quality clinical candidates and has sought to exploit less druggable biological targets. Densely functionalised small molecules with a high degree of synthetic complexity are often the result of these demands. Successful programmes therefore require the application of innovative synthesis in all stages of discovery and development. The medicinal chemist’s toolbox is also enhanced by the introduction of novel biosostrere, often made available only through the application of new synthetic methods. This symposium aims to celebrate the crucial role of synthesis in the success of drug discovery and development.

The three main themes of the symposium will be:

• Innovative synthesis facilitating candidate discovery
• Novel bioisosteres and methodology applicable to drug discovery
• Overcoming challenges of scale-up and process scale chemistry

Abstract submission deadline is January 30, 2020.

Bursary application deadline is February 6, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

The identification of potential new therapeutic agents is met with significant challenges in preclinical discovery and development.  Both efficacy and safety endpoints must be adequately assessed prior to testing a new investigational agent in humans.  Perhaps the most challenging part of drug discovery is the mitigation of safety risks that arise during most drug discovery optimization efforts.  In order to design and make safer drug candidates, medicinal chemists work with cross-functional drug discovery partners to understand, assess and mitigate safety risks associated with potential new drug candidates.  Successful drug discovery teams will properly design and execute experiments that can best assess and discharge risks prior to first human dose (FHD).  This must be accomplished in the context of anticipated human drug exposures and patient risk-benefit analysis.  Through the lens of modern medicinal chemistry, this course explores the current best practices and methods used to identify, understand and mitigate common preclinical safety risks from both a strategic and tactical perspective.  Importantly, the course also describes proactive approaches that can help medicinal chemists avoid many safety issues and deliver safer small molecule drug candidates.  A key objective of the course is to improve medicinal chemist’s preparedness for participation and leadership on cross-functional drug discovery teams.

Course Outline:

• Principles of toxicology and safety assessment.
• The Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
• Target assessment, predictive toxicology and in silico methods.
• Preferred drug properties to minimize toxicological risks.
• Common off-target safety concerns and mitigation.
• Managing on-target safety concerns.
• Pharmacokinetics in preclinical safety assessment.
• Drug metabolism and bioactivation.
• Toxicophores and Structure Alerts.
• Mechanisms and mitigation strategies for Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI).
• Preclinical safety biomarkers and translation to the clinic.
• Clinical candidate selection and FHD enablement.

For more information contact: sciup@scientificupdate.co

Nucleosides are key structures for current drug development and have established roles as antivirals and anticancer agents. Their (poly)phosphorylated nucleotide counterparts are critical tools for chemical biology and sequencing technologies. In recent years, nucleotides have also become fundamental building blocks for the preparation of altered genes and coding systems for synthetic biology. This meeting seeks to explore and celebrate the chemistry that drives the development of modern nucleoside and nucleotide chemistry. It will bring together scientists who work at the interfaces of synthetic and biological chemistry to deliver new tools and insights for biology, and new leads for drug development.

Features of the Meeting
• Synthetic methodologies for the preparation of nucleosides, nucleotides and related molecules
• Applications for nucleosides and nucleotides as medicines
• Applications of nucleosides and nucleotides as tools for chemical biology and synthetic biology
• Plenary speakers, poster session and trade exhibition

Deadline for abstract submission for oral communication is January 6, 2020.

Early bird registartion deadline is January 22, 2020.

Bursary application deadline is March 9, 2020.

Deadline for abstract submission for poster presentation is March 11, 2020.

Standard registration deadline is March 19, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

Cell surface transporters play a key role in human health and disease, both through their impact on drug disposition and as therapeutic targets in their own right. This third meeting in the series will feature talks on transporter structural biology, the impact of transporters on ADME and biodistribution, transporters as therapeutic targets and other aspects of transporters relevant to drug discovery and development. 

For more information please contact: conferences@soci.org

The Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry in Eastern England, known colloquially as the "Hatfield MedChem" meeting, is a highly successful, long-standing, one-day meeting which runs annually. The scientific program will comprise presentations showcasing medicinal chemistry case studies from tools to candidates, across a range of modalities, therapeutic areas and target classes, as well as covering more general topics from the forefront of drug discovery of relevance to medicinal chemists. The meeting aims to be informal and interactive and the event will offer excellent scientific and networking opportunities for all those working in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. 

Deadline for abstract submission is December 20, 2019.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

Members from across the DMPK research community are encouraged to join colleagues from across academic, industrial, and third-sector institutions and contribute to the ongoing discussion, evolution and application of DMPK in various scenarios.

The event programme will incorporate sessions themed around the following key topics:
- DMPK and Drug Discovery
- DMPK and Drug Safety
- Analytical and Computational Advances in DMPK

In addition, the programme also includes a keynote talk, ‘flash’ presentations from early career researchers, and opportunities for open debate and discussion.

Deadline for abstract submission is December 20, 2019.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

With more than 49 FDA-approved small molecules, the field of kinase inhibition continues to attract significant investment from the drug discovery and development community. The 9th RSC/SCI symposium on kinases will encompass plenary lectures on emergent topics and case studies of ongoing programmes as well as successful past programmes. A range of topics including new screening approaches, brain penetrant kinase inhibitors, induced protein degradation, allosteric inhibitors and kinase inhibition for immuno-oncology will be covered, along with views and perspectives on the future of kinase inhibitor research.

Deadline for abstract submission for oral communication is December 18, 2019.

Deadline for abstract submission for poster presentation is April 17, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

Mastering Medicinal Chemistry VI is the latest in an ongoing series of conferences intended to provide expert advice and guidance to new practitioners in the field of drug discovery. It has been said that "there are two types of drug discovery programmes: those that hit serious problems and those that are going to hit serious problems". 

Anticipating and preparing for such problems thus accelerates the delivery of new medicines: this event will feature presentations from experienced 'drug-hunters' in both industry and academia, who will talk about the challenges faced in modern drug discovery, and will share best practice common to all successful medicinal chemists.

Deadline for bursary application is April 28, 2020.

Deadline for abstract submission for poster presentation is May 20, 2020.

For more information please contact: cathy@cathyhillevents.co.uk

Tuberculosis, malaria and diseases caused by a diverse range of pathogens, including flaviviruses (eg dengue, West Nile), kinetoplastids (causative agents of Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, etc) and gut pathogens (worms, bacteria, parasites), remain a cause of high mortality across the globe. Fortunately, an ever-improving understanding of the complex life-cycles of these disease-causing pathogens is presenting increasing opportunities for those seeking to tackle these global health problems.

This meeting will focus on medicinal chemistry approaches to developing new medicines for diseases affecting global health. Keynote talks from international experts from industry and academia, alongside perspectives detailing case histories in drug discovery, will highlight the latest developments in the field whilst also showcasing the opportunity for creativity and innovation. 

Deadline for abstract submission is April 24, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk

The key role of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in human disease underpins their importance to modern medicine. We are pleased to announce that Evotec, Italy will support the eighth meeting in this series on GPCR drug discovery, which will combine cutting edge medicinal chemistry with innovative structural biology and novel drug design approaches.

Deadline for abstract submission for oral communication is January 13, 2020.

Deadline for abstract submission for poster presentation is July 22, 2020.

Bursary application deadline is August 7, 2020.

For more information please contact: maggi@maggichurchouseevents.co.uk