DMCCB Newsletter #13 August 2019
Dear Members of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology,
The DMCCB is involved in many scientific events and creates opportunities to make Swiss science visible to the broader community. The fall season will start with a dedicated Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology session at the SCS Fall Meeting 2019 on September 6. The DMCCB is also involved in the organization of the 2nd Anglo-Swiss Symposium taking place in Basel on February 4, 2020 and for which you have the chance to select the topic. Last but not least, preparations are now going full steam for the EFMC-ISMC and YMCS in Basel next year.
If you have some good science to share, take advantage of it. You can find more details about these topics below.
We wish you a nice continuation in the summer,
Your DMCCB
News from the DMCCB
Vote for your favorite topic!
On February 4, 2020, the DMCCB will co-organize the 2nd Anglo-Swiss Symposium with the Biological & Medicinal Chemistry Sector of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). This one day minisymposium will take place in Basel and gather top-class speakers from industry and academia on a chemical biology, medicinal and/or agrochemistry topic.
As usual, the DMCCB relies on the preference of its members to set the topic of the event. Don’t miss the chance to shape the event according to your needs and vote:
What should be the theme of the 2nd Anglo-Swiss Symposium?
1. Covalent inhibitors as drug candidates
2. Drugs working via allosteric mechanisms
3. Using chemical biology to identify new targets for MedChem
Vote here! https://forms.gle/rqYnNxo4wWR344zc6
Or just send us an e-mail at with your preference!
The results will be announced in our next Newsletter.
Agreement on the future of the International Symposium on Chemical Biology (ISCB)
The European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) and its member, the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS) are happy to announce that they have reached an agreement to commonly organize the International Symposium on Chemical Biology (EFMC-SCS ISCB), starting in 2024.
This biennial event was initiated in 2016 by the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research – Chemical Biology (NCCR-CB). This initiative will come to an end in 2022, and it was agreed that the Swiss Chemical Society (Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, DMCCB) would take over the organization of the event. It was further agreed to co-organize future ISCBs in collaboration with EFMC, to use synergies between both associations and maintain a high scientific level and international participation. Both partners will benefit from this agreement, as it complements their offer in chemical biology. And most importantly, it emphasizes the strong scientific links across the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology continuum.
Swiss Chemical Society Events
SCS Fall Meeting 2019 – University of Zürich, Irchel Campus – September 6, 2019: Did you know the SCS Fall Meeting is one of the largest annual research conferences held in Switzerland? This year’s major Swiss chemistry event will take place at the campus Irchel at the University of Zürich. Close to 1000 participants are expected. As usual, the DMCCB will chair a session featuring young and experimented (experienced?) researchers from industry and academia, who will present their work in medicinal chemistry or chemical biology. Do not miss a chance to showcase your work. Registration possible until August 23, 2019.
Other SCS Events in Fall 2019:
- ILMAC 2019, Basel, Sep 24-27, 2019
- Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Days, Basel, Sep 25-27, 2019
- SCS Seminar 2/2019 «G&SC», Basel, Sep 25-27, 2019
- SCS Syngenta Symposium, Stein (AG), Oct 17, 2019
Activities & events from the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC)
EFMC-ASMC’19 – International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry – Athens, Greece – September 1-5, 2019:The EFMC, the Hellenic Society of Medicinal Chemistry and ChemBridge Corporation will jointly organize the ASMC’19 in Athens, in the series which started in Moscow in 2004 (ASCMC'04 and ASMC'13), followed by St. Peterburg (ASMC'07 and ASMC'11), Kiev (ASMC'09), Rehovot, Israel (ASMC'15) and the latest one in Vienna (ASMC’17). This symposium aims to bring together chemists from industry, academia and start-up companies from around the world to present latest advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry.
EFMC-YMCS 2019 – 6th EFMC Young Medicinal Chemist Symposium – Athens, Greece – September 5-6, 2019:
Organized within the frame of the EFMC-ASMC’19 taking place in Athens on September 1-5, this short symposium has the aim of creating a network of young European investigators in Medicinal Chemistry, stimulating young European investigators in Medicinal Chemistry to share their scientific work with peers and inspiring leaders in the field, creating competition and excellence in Medicinal Chemistry within Europe by selecting the European Champion in Medicinal Chemistry. The Programme will include: opening lecture by Prof. K.C. Nicolaou, keynote lectures by Prof. Stuart Conway (University of Oxford, United Kingdom) and Dr Cornelia Zumbrunn (Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, Switzerland)
EFMC-ISMC 2020 – XXVI EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry – Basel – September 6-10, 2020:An event no one should miss, the EFMC-ISMC 2020 will be organized in Basel at the Mustermesse. It is organized by the DMCCB on behalf of EFMC. The International Organizing Committee (IOC) has already met twice in Basel, in December 2018 and in March 2019. The general structure of the conference has been discussed and the feedback from participants of previous meetings have been used to improve it further. Plenary speakers and session topic have now been selected. Overall, the preparation of the conference is proceeding well and is fully on track. You will find more information on the conference websitesoon!
You can sign up for updates on: https://www.efmc-ismc.org/
Other Activities
8th Annual Conference ICBS-2019 – Hyderabad, India – November 2-4, 2019:
The 8th International Chemical Biology Society’s annual conference on “Navigating Translational Discoveries” aims to provide a platform for gaining new knowledge based on the advancements made in the healthcare research using chemical biology tools. In this context, a Call for nominations for “ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award” is open and will be awarded on the occasion of the meeting to honor rising stars in the field of Chemical Biology. Nomination/application deadline: September 1, 2019. Deadline for registration: September30, 2019.
Twenty Years of the Rule of Five – Nottingham, UK - November 20, 2019:
Organized by the RSC BMCS, this symposium will bring together researchers from a number of different areas of drug discovery and will provide a historical overview of the use of Lipinski’s rules, as well as looking to the future and how we use these rules in the changing drug compound landscape. Meeting features: Historical look at the use of the Rule of Five, new parameters used in drug discovery, look forward to the next 20 years, panel discussions,… Poster abstract submission deadline: October 6, 2019
Did you know …
The EFMC decided to create a new network for young scientists: the EFMC-Young Scientists Network. The aim of the EFMC-YSN is to inspire, connect and provide opportunities to medicinal chemists and chemical biologists in their Early Career. EFMC-YSN organizes a variety of networking activities, soft skills trainings, mentoring programs and has a yearly symposium EFMC-YMCS. Become a member of EFMC-YSN, it is completely free of charge and you will join a fast growing young community! Check out more: https://www.efmc.info/ysn