Who we are – What we do

German Version

Inaugurated in 1971, the GDCh Division of Medicinal Chemistry consists of around 850 members who work in university institutes, other research institutes and in the pharmaceutical industry. These members are mostly chemists and pharmacists but also include computer scientists, process engineers, among others. The division aims to bridge chemistry, biology, medicine, and pharmacy. It deals with interdisciplinary work on addressing questions of modern drug development, in particular, drug discovery, lead optimization by incorporating modern technologies such as combinatorial synthesis, high-throughput screening systems based on molecular biological fundamentals, drug design, molecular modeling, quantitative structure-activity analyses, pharmacokinetics and metabolism. Medicinal chemistry describes a modern multidisciplinary research area. It exploits the latest scientific knowledge of biology and chemistry for the targeted production of active ingredients and, thus, decisively contributes towards the development of innovative drugs.

Aims

The division cultivates the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and promotes the discipline of medicinal chemistry in Germany where — as opposed to other countries — medicinal chemistry is part of the university curriculum, in particular, by:

• Organizing conferences and continuing education courses, also jointly with the GDCh Division of Biochemistry, the German Pharmaceutical Society, and the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC);
• Promoting the cooperation among the divisions of the GDCh and the German Pharmaceutical Society as well as between academia and the pharmaceutical industry;
• Advancing and supporting academic young scientists and ensuring their further professional education by:
  • Sponsoring continuing education events, awarding stipends for their participation at division conferences and symposia;
  • Conferring a prize for younger scientists for special innovations in the field of medical chemistry, together with the German Pharmaceutical Society division “Pharmaceutical Chemistry”.

The GDCh Division of Medicinal Chemistry supports a good education of German students of chemistry and pharmacy by maintaining Germany as a pharmaceutical research location. Together with the German Pharmaceutical Society, the division is publisher of the oldest German pharmaceutical journal, “Archiv der Pharmazie”.

The division informs about the field of medicinal chemistry through press releases, contributions in the GDCh membership journal, “Nachrichten aus der Chemie”, as well as through regular member notifications.

Executive Board
Chair
Dr. Franz von Nussbaum, Bayer HealthCare AG, Berlin

Vice Chair
Prof. Dr. Anna Hirsch, Helmholtz Center Saarbrücken

Board Members
Dr. Horst Dollinger, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach
Prof. Dr. Christian Ducho, Universität des Saarlandes
Dr. Gerhard Heßler, Sanofi-Aventis Germany, Frankfurt
Prof. Dr. Stefan Laufer, University of Tübingen