This major international symposium will gather more than 450 scientists from around the world at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Poitiers.

The scientific programme, which will include over 25 plenary lectures by internationally well-known scientists, focuses on "Interfacing Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery", covering the main stages of modern drug discovery:

1.  Targets - Pathways
2. Non Classical Drugs
3. Novel Approaches - New Tools/Platforms
4. Future Targeted Therapies
5. Exploring Chemical Space
6. Case Studies

The scientific committee ensures the high quality and diversity of the scientific programme together with the accessibility of the meeting to MSc and PhD students. For the latter, an advantageous registration fee will be proposed. Moreover, a special career session will be organised with industrial and academic participants.

During the meeting the traditional prizes (P. Ehrlich Lecture Award and C. Mentzer Prize) of the ‘Société de Chimie Thérapeutique’ will be awarded to researchers or research teams for their outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry.

In addition, a poster session will provide the opportunity for all participants to present their current results. A “best poster” prize will also be attributed.

Poitiers has been the provincial capital since Gallo-Roman times and as such, its architectural heritage is outstanding. Not necessarily on the main tourist agenda, Poitiers is none the less a town steeped in history and this has resulted in a city with a lovely medieval heart, a worthwhile place to visit.

The city is easily accessible and is at the midway point of the Paris-Bordeaux axis. From Paris and its major airports, Poitiers can be easily reached by high speed train in less than 2 hours. It is the perfect starting point to discover the fascinating region of “Poitou-Charentes”, one of the sunniest parts of the French western coast. Lying between the châteaux of the Loire Valley and the Bordeaux vineyards, the area provides several places of interest to tempt everyone.