DMCCB Newsletter #33 April 2026

Welcome to the first edition of the DMCCB Newsletter in 2026. This year, the DMCCB was and is involved in a range of activities across Switzerland. In February, the DMCCB Basel Symposium “Covalent Chemistry in Drug Discovery: From Screening to Development” and the LS2 Annual Meeting 2026 in Zurich took place. Both events were a great success, and you will be able to read more about them in an upcoming issue of Chimia. In June, we will organize the annual Peptide Pharmaceutics Forum, followed by EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026 in early September—both in Basel. Finally, the Swiss Course on Medicinal Chemistry 2026 will take place in Leysin in October. We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, and we very much look forward to seeing you at one of these events.

Your DMCCB

News from the DMCCB

16^th 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. More info and registration is available via the event website.

DMCCB on Social Media:
We have decided to retire our Facebook and Bluesky accounts and focus our activities on social media on LinkedIn.

Call for Nominations - Cancer Drug Discovery Research Award 2027: 
The Cancer Drug Discovery Research Award (supported by RGCC International) honors outstanding scientific achievements of Master students, PhD students or Postdocs at Swiss research institutes that are working in the field of cancer drug discovery research. It recognizes outstanding contributions in medicinal chemistry or chemical biology related to cancer research. The total prize sum is CHF 10’000 and will be given to 2 - 4 winners. The maximum amount per person is CHF 5’000 for PhD students and postdocs, and CHF 2’500 for Master students. The awardees may be offered the opportunity to conduct an internship with RGCC International. Deadline to hand in your application is September 30, 2026. Check out the SCS website for more details and nomination submission.

125^th Anniversary of the Swiss Chemical Society:
The DMCCB board is currently preparing a CHIMIA article on the history and landmark Swiss discoveries in the fields of Med Chem and Chem Bio, to be published at the end of the year in CHIMIA issue 12. Watch the space!

Another celebratory initiative this year is the SCS Anniversary Game Competition: Create your own Chemistry Game App and you can win 1'000 CHF!

For more DMCCB community news please also check the SCS website and follow us on LinkedIn.

‍Activities of the DMCCB

SCS Conference on Stereochemistry 2026 (Bürgenstock Conference): The ‘SCS Conference on Stereochemistry’, better known as ‘Bürgenstock Conference’, is an outstanding international chemistry meeting of high scientific quality, with an optimal setting for intense interdisciplinary discussion. It will take place from May 3 - 7, 2026, at Hotel Waldstätterhof in Brunnen. More information can be found on the SCS website. Registration for the conference is by invitation only. If you would like to attend the 2026 edition, please contact the organizing committee.

Swiss Biotech Day 2026: In 2026, the Swiss Biotech Day will again offer high-level experts from the life sciences industry the space and the time (one and a half days) to network, discuss and discover trends in R&D, manufacturing, data management, artificial intelligence and innovative financing. It will take place from May 4 - 5, 2026, at the Congress Center in Basel. More information and registration can be found on the event’s 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. Check out the event’s website for more information and registration.

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.

See also the information on the EFMC-Young Scientists Symposium 2026 below.

Activities and News from the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical biology (EFMC)

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-Young Scientists Symposium 2026: The 13^th edition of the formerly called EFMC-YMCS (Young Medicinal Chemists' Symposium) will be held in Basel, Switzerland on September 10-11, 2026. It is jointly organized by the European Federation for Medicinal chemistry and Chemical biology (EFMC) and the EFMC Young Scientists Network (EFMC-YSN). The EFMC Young Scientists symposium will take place right after EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026 on the Novartis Campus in Basel, from September 6-10, 2026. More Information and registration are available on the EFMC Young Scientists Symposium website.

Did you know?

Sustainability in Drug Discovery:
There is increasing concern that a significant proportion of current drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), either in their original forms or as their transformation products, are prevalent in the environment, posing risks to human and environmental health. This has sparked discussions on designing greener APIs, ranging from adopting "benign by design" principles to outright restricting certain reagents from the pool of building blocks. The EFMC is committed to staying at the forefront of developments in this field and influencing decisions to ensure that essential drugs reach the market efficiently. We believe the EFMC can play a pivotal role in uniting pharmaceutical companies, regulatory authorities, and academia to establish robust "benign by design" principles grounded in optimal environmental considerations, but also ensuring to the fullest the interests of the patients. Our Sustainability Working Group will dedicate time to shaping our strategy for addressing this critical issue. Read more about the topic on the EFMC website.