EFMC Yearbook 2021 Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology in Europe EFMC-ISMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry Virtual Event Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2021 SESSIONS AND SESSION NEXT GENERATION DRUGS FOR HEART CONFIRMED PLENARY LECTURES COORDINATORS FAILURE Alleyn Plowright, Wren Therapeutics, UK Phil Baran, The Scripps Research Institute, US CHEMICAL BIOLOGY Karin Briner, Novartis, US RECENT ADVANCES IN ANTICANCER DRUG Jean-Paul Clozel, Idorsia, CH CARBOHYDRATE RECOGNITION AND DRUG DISCOVERY Stefan Knapp, Goethe University Frankfurt, DE DESIGN Roberto di Santo, Sapienza University of Rome, IT Alexander Titz, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, DE TARGETING FIBROTIC DISEASES WITH SMALL MOLECULES EFMC AWARD LECTURES CHEMICAL APPROACHES TO STEM CELL Boehringer Ingelheim, DE DIFFERENTIATION (ICBS Session) THE NAUTA PHARMACOCHEMISTRY AWARD Colin Pouton, Monash University, AU TISSUE AND CELL SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY FOR MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL (EUFEPS Session) BIOLOGY CHEMICAL PROBES FOR TARGET DISCOVERY Sébastien Papot, University of Poitiers, FR Ad P. Ijzerman, Leiden University, NL AND VALIDATION Gyorgy Keseru, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, HU TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY MOLECULAR IMAGING TOOLS FOR CHEMICAL Malin Lemurell, AstraZeneca, SE BIOLOGY APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Valle Palomo, CIB, ES IN DRUG DISCOVERY PROJECTS Christopher Swain, Cambridge MedChem AWARD FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN DRUG PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN DRUG DISCOVERY: Consulting, UK DISCOVERY PHOTOPHARMACOLOGY, PHOTOTOXICITY Gisbert Schneider, ETH Zürich, CH AND SYNTHESIS (ACSMEDI Session) BIOCATALYSIS & LATE STAGE Timothy Henderson, MSD, US & Amjad Ali, MSD, US FUNCTIONALISATION Radka Snajdrova, Novartis, CH EFMC PARTNER PRIZES SMALL MOLECULES TARGETING RNA FUNCTION AND PROCESSING Maria Duca, University of Côte d'Azur, FR Jean-Paul Renaud, Urania Therapeutics, FR John E. Macor, Sanofi, US TARGET DECONVOLUTION STRATEGIES IN THE KLAUS GROHE AWARD DRUG DISCOVERY EXPANDING CHEMICAL SPACE THROUGH Stephan A. Sieber, Technical University Munich, DE Paul Brennan, University of Oxford, UK AUTOMATION Ola Engkvist, AstraZeneca, SE DRUG DISCOVERY PROJECTS EFMC PRIZE LECTURES INNOVATIVE SYNTHESIS FOR MEDICINAL ADDRESSING NEGLECTED AND EMERGING CHEMISTRY EFMC PRIZE FOR A YOUNG MEDICINAL VIRAL DISEASES WITH SMALL MOLECULES Cristina Nevado, University of Zurich, CH CHEMIST IN INDUSTRY (AFMC Session) Esin Aki-Yalçin, Ankara University, TR NOVEL STRATEGIES AND METHODS FOR EFMC PRIZE FOR A YOUNG MEDICINAL DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT (CPA CHEMIST IN ACADEMIA BREATHING LIFE INTO INHALED DRUG Session) DISCOVERY: CHALLENGES AND Ke Ding, Jinan University, CN BREAKTHROUGHS TO THE CLINIC (ACSMEDI Session) PRODRUG STRATEGIES IN DRUG DESIGN Nicole Goodwin, GSK, US AND DISCOVERY Bernd Clement, University of Kiel, DE & Jarkko SYMPOSIUM CHAIRMAN Karl-Heinz Altmann, ETH Zürich, CH CHEMICAL TOOLS AND DRUG DISCOVERY FOR Rautio, University of Eastern Finland, FI NEUROINFLAMMATION (EuChemS Session) MEMBERS Marko Anderluh, University of Ljubljana, SI Sonsoles Martin-Santamaria, Biological Research Yves P. Auberson, Novartis, CH Center, ES OPEN SESSIONS Karl-Heinz Baringhaus, Sanofi, DE Werngard Czechtizky, AstraZeneca, SE NEW STRATEGIES AND AGENTS FOR — FIRST TIME DISCLOSURES (I & II) — EMERGING TOPICS Beatriz de Pascual-Teresa, CEU San Pablo University, ES Vicky Steadman, Selcia, UK — LATE BREAKING NEWS Symeres, NL Submit your abstract now! Oral Communication & free Poster Late Poster submission deadline: submission deadline: March 25, 2021 June 24, 2021 Organised by On behalf of www.efmc-ismc.org EFMC Content Editorial 2 Reflections on 2018-2020 4 Corporate Members 6 Executive Committee 7 Council 8 Advisory Board 10 Additional EC partners 10 Influencing EU-Policy 11 EFMC Chemical Biology Initiative 12 Best Practices 13 EFMC Young Scientists Network 14 MedChemWatch 16 Website 16 EuroMedChem Talents Collection 17 EFMC-ISMC Virtual Event 2020 18 EFMC Photo Contest 2020 20 EFMC Awards 2020 21 EFMC Honorary Fellows 2020 22 EFMC Prizes 2020 23 Virtual EFMC-YMCS 2020 25 National Adhering Organisations 27 EFMC YEARBOOK 2021 | 1 Editorial Dear colleagues, expanding high-quality training opportunities for students, will be at the centre of my action as President, to ensure It is with a sense of honour that I write this first editorial the preparedness of EFMC in facing future challenges. as President of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (EFMC). My first words Let’s now have an overview of the most important events of go to Yves Auberson, for his inspirational presidency that 2020 and the activities planned by our Federation for 2021. brilliantly strengthened EFMC activities, and whose ad- vice will continue to be appreciated in the coming years. A REVIEW OF 2020 I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome As you will read in the event report on page 18 and 25, the Gianluca Sbardella as the new member of the EFMC EFMC had to adapt its activities in light of the coronavirus Executive Committee (EC). I very much look forward to pandemic. While facing the necessity to postpone all our working with Gianluca and the other EC members in the physical events by one year, EFMC was able to offer the upcoming year: Yves Auberson (Past President), Anders community a stage to share science thanks to all those Karlén (Secretary), Antoni Torrens (Treasurer), Luc Van who had worked in preparing the high-quality programmes. Hijfte and Franz von Nussbaum, with the support of Henk Timmerman as EFMC Advisor. A special welcome word The EFMC Virtual Week took place on September 7-11, goes to Kristina Goncharenko, chairwoman of the EFMC 2020 including the EFMC-ISMC First Time Disclosures Young Scientists Network (YSN), who recently accepted & Late Breaking News session, a virtual poster session our invitation to support the EC as delegate of the EFMC- and the virtual edition of the 7th EFMC Young Medicinal YSN. I also want to thank Matt Tozer, now leaving the EC, Chemists’ Symposium (EFMC-YMCS). With a combined for his long-lasting contribution to EFMC. attendance of more than 1.300 participants, we showed that the spirit of endeavour and community remains defi- I would also like to thank Brigitte Lesur (France), Peter antly undimmed by global events. Molevend (The Netherlands), Matilde Marques (Portugal) and Gunars Duburs (Latvia) for their years-long contribu- EFMC-YSN also decided to launch their own event, tion to the EFMC Council and welcome their successors, MedChemBioOnline, a series of webinars mixing sci- Sébastien Papot, Iwan de Esch, Maria Emilia Sousa and ence, soft-skills trainings and round-table discussions. Raivis Zalubovskis, respectively. I extend a warm wel- The success of the initiative, that included five webinars come to Gabriele Costantino (Italy), who is returning to the with an average of 500 participants, has motivated the EFMC Council following the election of Gianluca Sbardella YSN team to continue offering it througout 2021. to the EC. EFMC is most grateful to Prof. Karl-Heinz Altmann (EFMC- Finally, let's welcome our new Corporate Members – ISMC 2020 Chair), Yves P. Auberson (EFMC President GlaxoSmithKline and WuXi Apptec – and say thank you 2018-2020), Dennis Gillingham & Christina Lamers to all those who financially support the EFMC, its mission (EFMC-YMCS 2020 Chairs), Kristina Goncharenko (EFMC- to advance the science of medicinal chemistry and chem- YSN Chair) as well as all the other committee members and ical biology, as well as our activities for young scientists. members of the EFMC-YSN for their continuous support. EFMC greatly appreciates their commitment. The 16th EFMC Short Course on New Opportunities in Serving the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology GPCR Drug Discovery, scheduled to take place in Spring community as EFMC President is both a privilege and a 2020 also had to be postponed. We hope to organise it in unique challenge. I look forward to developing the stra- fall 2021 and allow the participants to gather in-person for tegic vision established by the Council and EC during the this intensive three-day course in the privileged location of workshop that took place in 2019 in Basel, and work to the Oud Poelgeest Castle in Oegstgeest, The Netherlands. meet the needs of our National Adhering Organisations I thank the course organisers, György Keserü & Rob Leurs (NAOs) and their members. Supporting the activities of the as well as the local organisers, Henk Timmerman & Laura working groups (Best Practices in Medicinal Chemistry, Heitman, for their understanding, resilience and support. Chemical Biology, EU Policy) and EFMC-YSN, as well as 2 | EFMC YEARBOOK 2021 The EFMC working groups provided again valuable con- A REJUVENATED VISUAL IDENTITY TO MATCH OUR tributions in diverse areas, with the appreciated help from AMBITIONS many participants. I invite you to have a closer look at the To close 2020 on a positive note and launch 2021 under, report on their activities on pages 11 to 14 of this Yearbook. we hope, good auspices, the EFMC unveiled its reshaped logo and new visual identity. After 50 years of existence LOOKING SERENELY BACK AT THE PAST… and with the most recent artworks dating back from a de- To celebrate its golden jubilee, the EFMC decided to collect cade ago, it was time for EFMC to shake off some dust and all available data about its history and compile it in a series take a leap into the digital era, opening a new chapter of of articles published with the support of ChemMedChem.