DMCCB Newsletter #31 August 2025

As we enter the third quarter of the year, we are excited to present the second Newsletter of 2025. This edition comes ahead of the SCS fall meeting which will take place in early September, and which usually would include a poll for voting on the topic of the upcoming Basel Symposium during the MediChem Session. However, this year, the board has decided to pre-select the topic of the Symposium. This will allow more time for organizing the symposium and hopefully inviting interesting speakers. The 2026 edition will focus on covalent drug discovery, with more details provided later in this Newsletter. If you are interested to read about the Basel Symposium 2025 which was focused on “Strategies for Addressing Challenging Targets”, you can find a report published in Chimia in the Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology Highlights (Chimia 2025, 79, 272, DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2025.272). 

Additionally, this issue features a biopic of our new board member, Sascha Hoogendoorn from the University of Geneva.

We hope you enjoy reading this Newsletter.

Your DMCCB

News from the DMCCB

The DMCCB Board is pleased to welcome new members to the Board. In this issue we would like to introduce Sascha Hoogendoorn, University of Geneva.

New DMCCB Board Member Sascha Hoogendoorn (University of Geneva)

Sascha Hoogendoorn was born and raised in the Netherlands. She received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from the group of Prof. Herman Overkleeft at the University of Leiden. In her PhD work, she used synthetic chemistry to develop receptor-targeting small molecules to accomplish selective cellular entry. After obtaining her PhD with highest honors in 2013, Sascha moved to the Chen lab at Stanford School of Medicine, USA. There, she got fascinated by the Hedgehog signaling pathway and the organelle it requires, the primary cilium. She developed a genome-wide CRISPR-KO screening platform to identify genes involved in ciliary Hedgehog signaling. In January 2019, Sascha was appointed as a tenure-track assistant professor in the department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) where she got promoted to associate professor in June 2025. She continues to work in the area of chemical biology to decipher and modulate ciliary signaling.  

Activities of the DMCCB/SCS

SCS Fall Meeting 2025: The SCS Fall Meeting 2025 is one of the largest annual research conferences held in Switzerland and offers a unique opportunity for all members of the community to share the results of their research initiatives and to connect with each other. It will take place at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Zurich on September 4, 2025. More information and registration can be found on the Meeting website.

Ilmac 2025: The 3-day Ilmac Conference Basel 2025 invites you to discover the latest developments and innovations with a direct link to applications and industrial processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. It will take place from September 16 to September 18, 2025 at the Messe Basel (Messeplatz 10, 4005 Basel). SCS, as the initial founder of the fair, is partnering with Messe Schweiz and coordinates the collaboration with society partners and the Universities of Applied Sciences. SCS is also the official organizer of the Ilmac Conference 2025.

Ilmac Conference: 
- Tuesday September 16, 2025: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital methods
- Wednesday, September 17, 2025: Sustainable applied methods and enabling key technologies
- Thursday, September 18, 2025: Biotech and Biomanufacturing - Sustainability in biotechnological processes and products.

Get your ticket for free with the Prio Code: scs-ilmac25. For more information check out the SCS and Ilmac websites.

From Lab to Production – Insights into Process Chemistry 2025/2: The event series with 1-2 events per year at Swiss universities enables students and PhDs to get an insight into process chemistry. Besides teaching the basics, an illustrative example from industry is discussed. The event will be held on November 27, 2025, at the University of Basel, Department of Chemistry, small lecture hall OC, St. Johanns-Ring 19, 4056 Basel, at 16.00h. More Information is available on the SCS website.

50 Years Giese Reaction: Two-day symposium to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Giese Reaction with focus on radical chemistry. The symposium will take place on January 29-20, 2026 at the University of Fribourg, Dept. of Chemistry Chemin du Musée 9, Per 10, Fribourg. Program and more info are available on the SCS website.

6^th Swiss Industrial Chemistry Symposium, SICS 2026: The SICS is a one-day symposium with lectures, short talks and offers a unique platform for industrial scientists, working in research and process research, to present their latest results. Dr. Henrik Moebitz (Novartis) will be giving the Senior Science Award Lecture 2025. The event will be held on January 30, 2026, at the University of Basel, Biozentrum, lecture hall U.131 and is free of charge for SCS members. More information and the event flyer are available on the SCS website. 

DMCCB Basel Symposium 2026: This one-day symposium, organized by the Swiss Chemical Society, Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, is dedicated to the theme «Covalent Chemistry in Drug Discovery: From Screening to Development». Join us on February 6, 2025, at the Biozentrum in Basel, where scientists from the fields of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology will meet to share the latest breakthroughs. This event is designed to engage professionals and students alike, offering a platform for fruitful discussions and collaboration. Don’t miss this unique chance to be part of the conversation shaping the future of drug discovery. Program, registration and more details will be soon available on the SCS website.

EFMC-ISMC 2026: The EFMC-ISMC 2026 will follow the traditional format of ISMC events, with plenary lectures and three parallel sessions covering medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and related technologies, spanning all major technologies and therapeutic areas, including bacterial and viral infections, diseases of the brain, heart, and respiratory system, fibrotic diseases and cancer. It is co-organized by the DMCCB and will take place at the congress center of the Messe Basel from September 4-10, 2026. Watch out for more info which will be published on the EFMC-ISMC website soon.

Activities & events from the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC)

EFMC-Young Medicinal Chemists Symposium 2025: The 12^th edition of this symposium will be held in Porto, Porto, Portugal on September 4-5, 2025 and will be organized by the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (EFMC) and the EFMC Young Scientists Network (YSN). The event will be organized in connection with the X EFMC International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ASMC 2025). This short symposium has the aim of:

- creating a network of young European investigators
- stimulating young European investigators to share their scientific work with peers and inspiring leaders in the field
- creating competition and excellence within Europe by selecting the European Champion in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Check out the event’s website for more info.

EFMC-ASMC 2025: the X EFMC International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry: The EFMC and the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the Portuguese Chemical Society will be organizing the 10^th edition of the International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ASMC 2025), which will take place in Porto, Portugal from August 31-September 4, 2025. This symposium will bring together chemists from industry, academia and start-up companies and is focused on the most recent advances in new synthetic methodologies, total synthesis, chemical biology, process and medicinal chemistry, and automation & AI approaches in synthesis and drug discovery. The program will include among others, lectures given by Prof. Christina White (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), Prof. Richmond Sarpong (University of California, Berkeley) and Prof. Helma Wennemears (ETH Zurich). Check out the event’s website for registration and more info. 

2026 IUPAC-Richter Prize 2026 - Application open

The 2026 IUPAC-Richter Prize will be presented during the 39^th ACS National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (May 31-June 3, 2026) in Atlanta, GA, United States and the recipient will also give a lecture on the subject of their research at the XXIXth EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (September 6-10, 2026) in Basel, Switzerland. The prize (USD 10 000) is to be awarded to an internationally recognized scientist, preferably a medicinal chemist, whose activities or published accounts have made an outstanding contribution to the practice of medicinal chemistry or to an outstanding example of new drug discovery. The Prize has been established by a generous gift from the Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter, Plc. (Budapest, Hungary) to acknowledge the key role that medicinal chemistry plays toward improving human health. Applicants should be received by NOMINATION only, with just one person needing to serve in that capacity, although a total of five (5) individuals should be listed as referees overall. The package must be submitted electronically and should contain a complete resume, a professional biography of not more than two pages, and a one-page summary of what the individual considers to be their activities, accomplishments and/or publications that have had the most significant impact upon the field of Medicinal Chemistry. The material will be forwarded confidentially to an independent selection committee appointed by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development. For further information please contact Prof. Janos Fischer, Member of the IUPAC Sub-committee on Drug Discovery and Development, by email at

Nomination materials should be uploaded by 15 December 2025 to IUPAC Secretariat via the following online form.

Did you know?

Early-career researchers in chemistry now have a new chance to expand their international experience. The Chemistry Europe Travel Grant, first launched in 2024 and updated in 2025, offers €2,000 to support research stays of one to two months in another country. The grant aims to build global scientific networks and help young scientists grow their careers through collaboration abroad. Eligible applicants must have earned their PhD at least two years ago, be a member of a Chemistry Europe society, and plan to conduct research in a country different from their current one.

Applications are already open and will remain so until November 1, 2025. To apply, candidates must submit their CV, a motivation letter outlining their project and host lab, and a list of five key publications through their national Chemistry Europe society. Selection will be based on the scientific quality and feasibility of the proposed project.