Welcome

Just over ten years ago the SMR Committee made the decision to experiment with a meeting at which the all the presentations would be given by medicinal chemists. To make the meeting more exciting, the topics were intended to focus on emerging areas of drug discovery, rather than well worked areas, or me-too chemistry.

For the most part, this philosophy on meeting organisation has prevailed. Also, as this is the seventh such meeting of this type, we strongly believe they are hitting the right spot with many of our members. The attendances have been consistently high (from figures to hand, >110 at each of the last three).

Today's programme showcases some of the exciting new approaches being undertaken in Europe to identify new treatments for unmet medical needs. Despite the contraction in the number of pharmaceutical companies, we again have speakers from different organisations, representing the new and the established, large and small. As ever, there is wide variety and originality in the programme with talks on new research aimed at products in oncology, anti-infectives, CNS disease and reproductive medicine. We thank all those organisations for agreeing to participate.

Richard Armer and Phillip Cowley
Meeting Organizers