DMCCB Newsletter #32 December 2025
Welcome to the final edition of the DMCCB Newsletter for 2025! As we approach the holiday season, we wish everyone a restful break and share our excitement for the upcoming year. 2026 promises a rich calendar of events, including the DMCCB Basel Symposium and LS2 Meeting in February, the Peptide Therapeutics Forum in June, and in September we will have the honor to host the 2026 edition of the EFMC-ISMC in Basel (International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry organized together by the DMCCB and the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology). You will find more details about these gatherings throughout this Newsletter. Next year is also the 125th anniversary of the SCS and you can look forward to many activities and events organized by the SCS and the DMCCB. More to come in the upcoming Newsletters.
This issue also features a biopic of our new board member, Angela Steinauerfrom EPFL Lausanne.
We hope you enjoy reading this Newsletter.
Your DMCCB Team
News from the DMCCB
The DMCCB Board is pleased to welcome new members to the Board. In this issue we would like to introduce Angela Steinauer (EPFL).
New DMCCB Board Member Angela Steinauer (EPFL)
Angela Steinauer was born and raised in Gross near Einsiedeln (SZ) and studied chemistry at the University of Zurich, earning her BSc in 2012. For her Master’s thesis in organic chemistry, she worked in the group of Prof. Jay Siegel. She then completed her PhD in Chemical Biology at Yale University under the supervision of Prof. Alanna Schepartz. From 2018 to 2023, she conducted postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich in the groups of Prof. Don Hilvert and Prof. Jean-Christophe Leroux, working on protein cages for RNA delivery and engineering mucolytic enzymes, respectively. Since 2023, she is Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at EPFL, where she leads the Laboratory of Biomolecular Engineering and Nanomedicine (LIBN). Her research focuses on developing synthetic protein-based gene carriers by combining protein engineering and directed evolution.
SCS Fall Meeting DMCCB Prize Winners
Best Oral Contribution:
- Oliver Dennis (EPFL)
MedChem Posters:
- First Prize: Mathilde Vincent, ETH Zürich
- Runner Up: Vincent Freiburghaus, Univ. of Zürich
ChemBio Posters:
- First Prize: Henriette Lämmermann, Univ. of Zürich
- Runner Up: Christine Marty, EPFL Lausanne
For more DMCCB community news please also check the SCS website and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
Activities of the DMCCB
50 Years Giese Reaction: Two-day symposium to celebrate the 50th 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 UniFr website.
6th 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 SICS website.
DMCCB Basel Symposium 2026: This one-day symposium, organized by the Swiss Chemical Society, Division Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, is dedicated to the theme «Covalent Chemistry in Drug Discovery: From Screening to Development». In the year of its 125th anniversary, the Swiss Chemical Society celebrates a long tradition of advancing chemistry and fostering scientific exchange. Against this backdrop, the DMCCB Basel Symposium 2026 highlights the transformative role of covalent chemistry in modern drug discovery.
Covalent drugs have re-emerged as powerful therapeutic agents, offering unique advantages in potency, selectivity, and durability of action. With advances in screening technologies, structural biology, and chemical design, covalent chemistry is being applied to a broad range of biological targets once considered difficult or inaccessible. This symposium will bring together leading experts to explore how covalent strategies are reshaping the future of drug discovery.
Join us on February 5, 2026, at the Biozentrum in Basel, where scientists from medicinal chemistry and chemical biology will present the latest insights and breakthroughs. From innovative screening approaches and mechanistic studies to the development of clinically relevant candidates, this symposium promises a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges in covalent drug discovery.
This event is designed to engage professionals and students alike, fostering dialogue and collaboration across disciplines. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be part of the discussion driving the next generation of covalent therapeutics
Detailed program and registration can be found on the event’s website.
LS2 Annual Meeting 2026: The LS2 Annual Meeting serves as a vibrant platform for scientists across Switzerland and beyond, bringing together researchers from all fields of life sciences to foster collaboration and share groundbreaking discoveries. This year’s theme, "Fueling Life Across Scales", highlights the fundamental role of energy in driving biological processes, from the molecular to the organismal level. We are delighted to announce three outstanding keynote speakers: Sarah-Maria Fendt (VIB Center for Cancer Biology & KU Leuven, Belgium), Heidi McBride (McGill University, Canada), and Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA). Their lectures will span critical topics in metabolism, mitochondria, cancer, and advanced imaging technologies, providing unique insights into how energy fuels life at multiple scales. The keynote lectures will be integrated into an exciting program featuring 11 scientific symposia organized by LS2 sections and partners. This year’s meeting will be held on February 10, 2026, at the University of Zurich, Irchel Campus, Deadline for registration is January 11, 2026. Program, registration and more details are available on the events website.
SCS Spring Meeting 2026: The SCS Spring Meeting is a one-day symposium and provides a high-quality program with national and international speakers on a certain topic. The topic of the 2026 symposium is «Catalyzing Change: Sustainability in Chemistry with Green Approaches and Innovative Synthesis». We are proud to welcome Nobel Prize Laureate 2025, Prof. Susumu Kitagawa, Kyoto University, as one of our speakers. The event will take place April 23, 2026, at the University of Fribourg, Bd. De Pérolles 90. More information and registration can be found on the event website.
Peptide Therapeutics Forum 2026: Like previous events in the framework of Basel Life, presentations highlight important new insights regarding the drug discovery of peptides including examples for successful development candidates. This forum should disseminate information on latest news in the broad field of therapeutic peptides and enable networking of interested parties from academia and industries. It will take place June 4-5, 2026, at the Biozentrum in Basel. Check out the event’s website for more information and registration.
SCS Fall Meeting 2026: The SCS Fall Meeting 2026, one of the largest annual research conferences held in Switzerland, 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 August 27-28, 2026 at the University of Bern VonRoll Areal. More information will be soon available on the SCS website (Q1/2026).
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 6-10, 2026. More Information and registration are available on the EFMC-ISMC website.
16th Swiss Course on Medicinal Chemistry 2026: This five-day Medicinal Chemistry School focuses on most modern aspects associated with small molecule drug discovery, highlighting the methodologies and technologies supporting hit generation, lead finding and lead optimization campaigns. As in previous years, the teaching content is targeted at young scientists working in the area of medicinal chemistry, but also from flanking disciplines such as biochemistry, pharmacy, pharmacology, or biophysics from the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Given the broad spectrum and the timeliness of scientific topics discussed, the course also provides a valuable opportunity for advanced medicinal chemists to get acquainted with most recent developments in e.g. the medicinal chemistry of novel target families, novel compound classes, and most modern optimization paradigms. In addition, a number of PhD students and postdocs are able to attend to receive a broad overview on scientific disciplines involved in modern drug discovery.
The event is thematically structured along key topics of strategic relevance for medicinal chemistry that will be presented by opinion leaders in the field. The teaching content is further intensified by hands-on tutorials in which theoretical learning can immediately be applied to real life problems of pre-clinical drug discovery. It will take place from October 4-10, 2026 at the Swiss Alpine Hotel in Leysin. Mor e info and registration will be available soon via the event website.
Activities and News from the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical biology (EFMC)
20th EFMC Short Course on Medicinal Chemistry: Atypical Approaches in Modern Medicinal Chemistry Focusing on Protein Targets, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands, April 19-22, 2026.
Modern medicinal chemistry is highly interdisciplinary and constantly evolving. To reflect the major changes over the past 20 years, this course will focus on selected atypical approaches that have found application for the modulation of enzymes.
This course will cover protein-templated synthesis for hit identification and optimization, degraders and glues, AI in drug discovery with a focus on high-throughput experimentation, allosteric inhibitors and macrocycles and targeted optimization for unusual routes of application that will be illustrated by a case study from recent clinical candidates.
Check out the event’s website for more info.
EFMC-ACSMEDI-Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers 2026: The EFMC-ACSMEDI Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers is co-organized by EFMC (European Federation for Medicinal chemistry and Chemical biology) and ACS MEDI (Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the American Chemical Society). The 2026 edition will be organized in Dublin, Ireland from June 22-25. 2026.
The 2026 program will include:
- 3 high quality plenary lectures
- 9 sessions on key topics in Medicinal Chemistry
- About 18 oral communications selected from the submitted abstracts
- An extensive social program to maximize your networking opportunities
- A poster session and a commercial exhibition
ACSMEDI-EFMC Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers Meeting attracts a highly targeted audience composed of experts, researchers and early career trainees in drug discovery and development, in particular medicinal and synthetic chemists, together with scientists active in the fields of computer assisted drug design, biology, DMPK, pharmacology, and early toxicology. See the event’s website for a detailed program and registration.
EFMC Awards 2026 – Call for Nominations
To acknowledge outstanding achievements in the field of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, EFMC will confer three awards in 2026. The Awards will be presented during the EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026), which will be held in Basel, Switzerland, on September 6-10, 2026.
All 3 awards consist of a diploma, € 7.500 and an invitation to give a headline presentation at EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026.
Nominations for these Awards consist of a nomination letter, a brief CV including a list of selected publications and two supporting letters. Self-nominations are also accepted. The nominations should be submitted to Dr Luc Van Hijfte, President of the EFMC, via the following link:
Deadline for submission: January 31, 2026
The Nauta Pharmacochemistry Award for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology
The Award will be given for outstanding achievements in scientific research including contributions to the development of international organizational structures in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
The UCB-Ehrlich Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry
To acknowledge and recognise outstanding research in the field of Medicinal Chemistry in its broadest sense by a young scientist. This Award has been established with the support of UCB Pharma.
The Prous Institute - Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery
To encourage innovation and investigation in technological development related to drug discovery, this Award, established with the support of the Prous Institute, will be given for the discovery, evaluation, or use of new technologies.
EFMC Prizes 2026 – Call for Nominations
To acknowledge and recognize outstanding researchers (≤ 12 years after PhD) working in European industry and academia, the EFMC established the "EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist in Industry" and the "EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist in Academia".
These two prizes are given annually and consist of a diploma, 2.500€ and an invitation to give an oral communication at the EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026), scheduled to be held in Basel, Switzerland from September 6-10 2026. Two additional nominees will also be identified and acknowledged as most meritorious runners-up.
Deadline for nominations is January 31, 2026.
EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist in Industry
Nominations should be written by the candidate’s supervisor and consist of:
- a letter by the supervisor.
- a brief CV of the candidate.
- an abstract of the potential oral presentation.
EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist or Chemical Biologist in Academia
Applications should consist of:
- a one-page letter by the candidate, including a short rationale for their application.
- one page with the five key publications.
- a brief CV of the candidate.
- an abstract of the potential oral presentation.
More info ca be found here
Did you know?
The youngSCS of the Swiss Chemical Society is a network of young researchers (aged under 35) in all areas of chemistry. The Community has around 700 members.
The aims of the youngSCS are
- to provide a network for young researchers so that they can meet in an informal setting and learn from one another
- to maintain contact with our colleagues in neighboring countries
- to facilitate access to the chemical industry
Read more about the youngSCS on the SCS website.
The SCS Head Office moved to a new location an the new address is
Swiss Chemical Society
Marktgasse 32
3011 Bern
Phone: +41 31 506 01 08
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