DMCCB Newsletter #34 August 2026

Welcome to the second issue of our newsletter. As the summer heat continues and drought conditions remind us of the changing environment around us, the DMCCB is looking ahead to an exciting season of scientific exchange and collaboration. We are particularly looking forward to the EFMC-International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry 2026 in Basel, which will bring together medicinal chemists and chemical biologists from across Europe and beyond. Just a few days before that, the University of Bern will host the SCS Fall Meeting. We are also delighted to announce the launch of EuroChemBio, a new flagship symposium dedicated to Europe’s chemical biology community. Read more about these highlights and other upcoming activities below.

Your DMCCB

News from the DMCCB

‍Activities of the DMCCB

SCS Fall Meeting 2026: Come and join us for the Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology sessions on the second day of the Swiss Chemical Society Fall Meeting 2026 (27^th – 28^th of August, vonRoll Campus, University of Bern). We have assembled an attractive program of 13 presentations from academic and industry partners ranging from drug discovery and molecular modelling to protein- and DEL-libraries as well as antibody synthesis, RNA dynamics and protein-based sensors.
Please have a look at our program here.

EFMC-ISMC 2026: The EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026 (former EFMC-ISMC) is a must-attend for medicinal chemists and chemical biologists. This edition will follow the format of previous ISMC events, with extraordinary plenary lectures, first disclosures, and three parallel sessions covering medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and related technologies. It will cover 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.

Swiss Chemistry Science Night 2026: This annual gala event celebrates discoveries and innovations in the chemical sciences and recognizes outstanding achievements by members of our community. The 2026 SCS Award winners will be honored in the presence of prominent figures from industry and academia, as well as representatives from politics and the media. The evening will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the SCS, which was founded in 1901. The event will take place on September 18, 2026, at the Casino Bern. Participation is on invitation only and is open for award winners, selected SCS members and SCS partners. A small contingent of additional tickets is available for CHF 250 per person. If you are interested, please contact . Additional information can be found on the SCS website.

16^th Swiss Course on Medicinal Chemistry: 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 are available on the course website.

Artificial Intelligence: From Data to Value Creation: The Swiss Chemical Society has joined forces with the Swiss Data Center (SDSC) to set up this tailored course to gain a better understanding of the topic and how it can bring value to for the Swiss chemistry community. This course will take place November 12-13, 2026, at the ETH Zurich. 

DMCCB Basel Symposium 2027: This one-day symposium is organized by the Swiss Chemical Society, Division Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Join us on January 25, 2027, at the Biozentrum in Basel, where scientists from medicinal chemistry and chemical biology will present the latest insights and breakthroughs. The topic and more details for the symposium will be published soon on the SCS website.

LS2 Annual Meeting 2027: 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, "Biological interactions: from molecules to organisms", highlights targeted protein degradation, cell-autonomous and innate immunity and brain development and neurogenesis. The 2027 edition will take place from February 10-11 at the University of Lausanne.
The keynote lectures will be integrated into an exciting program featuring 12 scientific symposia covering a broad spectrum of contemporary biomedical research, ranging from neuronal circuit vulnerability and multicellular self-organization to AI-enabled biological networks, precision therapeutics, extracellular matrix biology, and advanced in vivo and multicellular model systems.
The LS2 Annual Meeting is the largest life sciences gathering in Switzerland, offering a broad scientific program and facilitating connections across disciplines. We strongly encourage young researchers to engage in discussions, present their work, and take advantage of the rich networking opportunities
More information can be found on the event’s website.

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

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.

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Did you know?

EuChemS Industry Innovation Award
The EuChemS Industry Innovation Award honors outstanding achievements by researchers or teams of researchers working for industrial companies in the field of chemistry, or jointly by research teams from academia and/or from other research institutions. Previous recipients of the Award are J. Henrique Teles (BASF, 2025) and Magnus J. Johansson (AstraZeneca, 2024). The call for nominations for the 2026 EuChemS Industry Innovation Award will open in September and close mid-December 2026. More information is available on the Award website.