THE EUROPEAN PEPTIDE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER ISSUE NUMBER 45, JANUARY 2012 John M. Stewart (1924–2011) Polish Peptide Symposium Peptide Meeting of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Bulgarian Peptide Symposium Published by the Journal of Peptide Science The Official Journal of the European Peptide Society A Message from the Chairman of the 32nd EPS Symposium Cover photo: Parthenon, Acropolis of Athens: venue of the forthcoming 32nd European Peptide Symposium Dear Colleagues, IN THIS ISSUE A Message from the Chairman of the 32 EPS . .2 n behalf of the Organising surprises. The history of Athens is one of Chemistry and Biology Committee, we have the pleasure the longest of any city in Europe and in of Peptides . .3 Oof inviting you to the 32nd the world. Three thousand years old Polish Peptide Symposium . .4 European Peptide Symposium (32EPS cultural riches are housed in Hungarian Peptide Meeting . .6 Bulgarian Peptide Symposium .8 2012), which will be held in Athens from approximately 50 national and private Austrian Peptide Symposium .10 the 2nd to the 7th September, 2012. museums, including the new Acropolis Doctorate Honoris Causa to The symposium will present the most museum, featuring from neolithic L. Moroder . .12 recent, cutting-edge research on a broad settlement finds to examples of modern John M. Stewart, in Memoriam . .14 range of topics in the area of Peptide art. When you are in Athens you will Book Review . .17 Science by leading international experts probably get the impression the city never Society News . .19 from both industry and academia. The sleeps. It is our intention to establish an Society Officers . .22 Calendar . .23 scientific program will be structured inspiring atmosphere for fruitful scientific around international invited speakers and discussions and for initiating new NEWSLETTER EDITOR oral presentations of selected high-quality collaborations within and outside Europe. Professor Paul Cordopatis Department of Pharmacy submitted abstracts as well as poster We are looking forward to welcoming University of Patras sessions where all delegates are you in Athens at the 32nd European GR 265 00 Patras, Greece encouraged to present their data. Peptide Symposium. Tel: (+30) 2610 997 713 (+30) 2610 969 934 Athens, a bustling city of 5-million Fax: (+30) 2610 997 714 residents, is full of contrasts and pleasant Professor George Kokotos E-mail: [email protected] SOCIETY NEWSLETTER This newsletter is published twice a year and can be obtained as: a) a PDF download from the European Peptide Society website at http://www.eurpepsoc.com or b) a print copy within the Journal of Peptide Science Journal of Peptide Science, the official journal of the European Peptide Society, is published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. EPS members can obtain an annual print subscription to the 12 issues of the journal including the two EPS newsletters for $112.00 – to subscribe email: [email protected] 2 MINI-SYMPOSIUM Chemistry and Biology of Peptides Oxford University, 27 July 2011 he annual mini-symposium box’ (CS Bio sponsored speaker), Prof. “Chemistry and Biology of Roderich Suessmuth (TU, Berlin) ‘Peptide TPeptides” was the sixth organized drugs from Nature’ and Prof. Alain in this series and was held on July 27 in Prochiantz (Collège de France, Paris) the new biochemistry department, Oxford ‘Unravelling homeoprotein based signal University, under the auspices of both the transduction’. protein and peptide sciences group The symposium was highly multi- (PPSG) of the RSC and the European disciplinary, short talks were given by Dr peptide society. The organizers were all Chris Scanlan (Oxford), Ellie Banwell members of the PPSG and included (Riken, Japan), Graham Cotton, (Almac), Johanna Scheinost (Biochemistry Michael Webb (Leeds) and Professor department, Oxford), Weng CHAN Mark Searle (Nottingham) that covered a (University of Nottingham) Peter White whole range of topics from the production (Merck Novabiochem) and John Offer of homogenous glycoproteins (C.S) to (MRC NIMR). The mini-symposium ubiquitin recognition proteins (M.S.) via continues to provide a meeting point and the origin of life (EB) focus for UK peptide scientists. We were In conclusion the feedback from the also very happy to welcome the non-UK participants was very positive, it was a attendees who had made the effort to join highly successful meeting. The organisers us in Oxford. Around 100 delegates were are grateful to CS Bio, Novabiochem, present for the meeting. CRB, CEM and especially the European This symposium was organized in four peptide society for making this meeting sessions with three keynote lectures given happen. Next year’s meeting will be held by the following international invited at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, speakers: Prof. Barbara Imperiali (MIT, Cambridge. Boston) ‘New tools for the chemical tool Contributed by John Offer 3 CONFERENCE REPORT 21st Polish Peptide Symposium Supras′ l, 4–8 September 2011 he 21st Polish Peptide Symposium namely Agnieszka Markowska (vice- presented. At the opening session Prof. was held in Supras′ l near Bialystok chairman), Irena Bruzgo and Elzbieta Ferenc Hudecz, the President of European Tat the Knieja Conference-Banquet Zadykowicz (secretary) were involved in Peptide Society gave the first lecture titled Center. About 150 participants, mainly the organization of the symposium. The “The effect of the bond-type on from Poland but also from France, organizers received financial support from fluorescent properties, cellular uptake, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland, were the European Peptide Society, the Medical and cytostasis of daunomycin conjugates gathered in this beautiful, small town in University of Bialystok and several with oligoarginine”. Other lecturers in this the heart of the Knyszyn Forest. High companies including: Anchem, Bachem, session were “The β-and γ-peptides built attendance by young scientists was Fluorochem, Kawaska, Linegal Chemi- of homologated proteinogenic amino observed. The official language of the cals, LipoPharm, Merck, Perlan Technol- acids- from synthesis to structure to symposium was English. The chairman of ogies, Poly Peptide Group , Shim-Pol and biomedical investigations …and back” by the Symposium was Krystyna Midura- Intavis Bioanalytical Instruments. Prof. Dieter Seebach, “Peptide nitriles as Nowaczek from the Medical University of During the four days of the conference cysteine protease inhibitors” by Prof. Bialystok. But many other people who 42 lectures and 85 posters dealing with Michael Gütschow and “Application of formed the Organizing Committee, many aspects of peptide science were fluorescent substrates and inhibitors of Group picture of participants of 21 Polish Peptide Symposium 4 proteolytic enzymes” by Prof. Adam Lesner. There was also a poster competition. All the participants who voted awarded the first prize to the poster presented by Karolina Radziszewska from University of Wroclaw entitled “Chemical N-phosphorylation of lysine-containing peptides examinated by mass spectro- metry”, the second prize was given to Patrycja Kleczkowska from the Polish Academy of Science in Warsaw for the poster called “Antinociceptive effect induced by a combination of opioid and neurotensin pharmacophores and their Symposium session (Prof. A Misicka and Prof. D. Seebach) hybrid peptide [Ile9]PK20)” and the third to Marta Bochno from the Wroclaw University of Technology who presented the poster titled “Synthesis of bis-H- phosphinates as potential inhibitors of glutamine synthetase”. In addition to the scientific program, the participants had an opportunity to visit the Museum of Icons during a lunch break. There were also interesting possibilities to spend the evenings: on Monday – a lecture and a film about the Knyszyn Forest, on Tuesday – a concert of Closing ceremony. From left Dr Robert Latajka (the organizer of next 22nd PPS), Prof. F. Hudecz Primavera string-quartet and on Wednes- (chairman of EPS) and Prof. Krystyna Midura-Nowaczek (the chairman of the symposium) day a barbeque with a dance party which integrated all the participants. The closing ceremony, which took place on the last organizer of next Symposium, invited all zing Committee for the excellent organi- day of the conference after the morning the participants to Kudowa for the 22nd zation and nice atmosphere. session, was co-chaired by Ferenc Polish Peptide Symposium which will Hudecz, Krystyna Midura-Nowaczek and take place in September 2013. After- Contributed by Robert Latajka. Dr Robert Latajka from wards Prof Ferenc Hudecz recapitulated Krystyna Midura-Nowaczek the Wroclaw University of Technology, the the Symposium and thanked the Organi- 5 CONFERENCE REPORT Annual meeting of the Peptide Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Balatonszemes (Lake Balaton), 19–21 September 2011 he Annual meeting of the Peptide development of efficient peptide Kálmán Medzihradszky (Research Group Committee of the Hungarian derivatives with anticancer activity (e.g. of Peptide Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd TAcademy of Sciences (HAS) was Cetrorelix), inhibitors of caspases (e.g. 3- University – HAS, Budapest) gave an held on 19–21 September 2011 in the amino-4-carboxybutyraldehydes) and informal lecture about the contribution of town Balatonszemes at the Lake Balaton. thrombin (e.g. GYKI-14 166), and Professor Bajusz. This lecture was filled The meeting had an attendance of 75 peptides with anticoagulatory effect (e.g. with many interesting stories and peptide scientists (Ph.D. students, post efegatran GYKI-14