The GDCh division for Medicinal Chemistry has existed since 1971. Its approximately 850 members are active in university institutes, other research institutions and in the pharmaceutical industry. The division aims to build a bridge between chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Pharmacy, Computer Science and engineering. It deals with questions of modern drug development across all areas, in particular the discovery of active ingredients, the optimization of lead substances with the inclusion of modern technologies such as combinatorial synthesis, high-throughput screening systems based on molecular biological principles, drug design, molecular modeling, quantitative structure / effect analyzes, pharmacokinetics and metabolism.

Medicinal chemistry describes a modern, multidisciplinary field of research. It uses the latest scientific findings in Biology and chemistry for the targeted production of active substances and thus makes a decisive contribution to the development of innovative drugs.

Objectives
The division fosters the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and promotes medicinal chemistry, which is not established as a subject in Germany

 

• Organization of conferences and advanced training courses, also together with the GDCh Biochemistry division , the German Pharmaceutical Society and the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC),
• Promotion of the cooperation between the specialist groups of the GDCh and the German Pharmaceutical Society as well as between the university and the pharmaceutical industry.

It promotes and supports the next generation of academics and ensures their professional development

 

• Further training events, awarding of scholarships for participation in specialist group meetings and symposia,
• Award of doctoral prizes,
• Award of a junior Prize to honor special innovations in medicinal chemistry, together with the division "Pharmaceutical Chemistry" the German Pharmaceutical Society.

The Medicinal Chemistry division is committed to providing good training for German chemistry and Pharmacy students in order to maintain Germany as a pharmaceutical research location.

Together with the German Pharmaceutical Society, it publishes the Pharmacy Archive, the oldest German chemical journal.