RSC-BMCS 6th Synthesis in Drug Discovery and Development 2026
Event
RSC-BMCS 6th Synthesis in Drug Discovery and Development
Dates
Monday 18th May – Tuesday 19th May, 2026
1pm – 5pm (BST) each day
Place
Virtual (Zoom)
Important links and downloads
Hashtag for social media – #SDDD26
Please click here to register
Please click here to download the second announcement
Synopsis
Synthesis is at the heart of drug discovery and development. The industry has increasingly demanded higher quality clinical candidates and has sought to exploit less druggable biological targets. Densely functionalised small molecules with a high degree of synthetic complexity are often the result of these demands. Successful programmes therefore require the application of innovative synthesis in all stages of discovery and development. The medicinal chemist’s toolbox is also enhanced by the introduction of novel bioisosteres, often made available only through the application of new synthetic methods. This symposium aims to celebrate the crucial role of synthesis in the success of drug discovery and development.
Who should attend?
Chemists from industry and academia, including synthetic, medicinal, agroscience, and process chemists.
Want to become a member?
To join the RSC in order to qualify for discounted registration fees at all RSC events, please follow this RSC link.
Registration
Please click here to register.
RSC Member: £60.00
Non-Member: £90.00
RSC Student Member: £30.00
Student Non-Member: £45.00
Please note that registrations are for one person per booking.
If you wish to register multiple people from the same organisation, we can offer a sizeable discount. If you are interested, please contact aimee.jackson@hg3.co.uk.
Call for Abstracts
The organising committee are accepting abstracts for either a short talk (10-minute talk) or a full talk (40-minute talk). To support our goal of promoting the next generation of chemists in synthetic, medicinal, agrochemical, and process chemistry, abstracts are particularly welcome from PhD students and other early career scientists. The deadline for abstract submission is now Midnight (GMT), Friday 6th March 2026.
Abstract submission is now closed.
Programme
Monday 18th May
| 13:00 | Opening Remarks |
|---|---|
| 13:05 - 15:05 | Session 1 Chair: Martin Swarbrick, Pharmaron |
| 13:05 | Loic Pantaine, Pharmaron Turning novel photoredox reactions into scalable photoflow processes: lighting the way from academia to industry |
| 13.45 | Alex Cresswell, University of Bath Reprogramming alkylamine reactivity for direct C–C bond formation |
| 14.25 | Tom McGuire, AstraZeneca Adaptive Chemistry Team Model: Accelerating Early Oncology Discovery Projects |
| 15:05 | Refreshment Break |
| 15:35 - 17:10 | Session 2 Chair: Andrew Williams, RSC BMCS |
| 15:35 | Afsaneh Arshadi Edlo (University of Tehran) Homing In on Resistance: A pH-Responsive BMOF Nanocarrier with Vancomycin-Motif Targeting for Precision Antimicrobial Therapy. |
| 15:50 | Nathaniel Kadunce, Gilead Process Development of Lenacapavir and its Complex Pyrazole Fragment |
| 16:30 | Hatice Yayla, Pfizer Enabling challenging photocatalytic transformations for medicinal chemistry programs: a series of case studies |
| 17:10 | Close |
Tuesday 19th May
| 13:00 - 15:05 | Session 3 Chair: Pradip Songara, Rothamsted Research |
|---|---|
| 13:05 | Daniele Leonori, RWTH Aachen University Novel synthetic methods using photochemistry |
| 13:45 | David Whalley, AstraZeneca A unified platform for the rapid assembly of glutarimides for Cereblon E3 ligase modulatory drugs |
| 14:25 | Mariola Tortosa Manzanares, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Catalysis to increase complexity: stereoselective synthesis of sp3-rich building blocks |
| 15:05 | Refreshment Break |
| 15:35 - 16:35 | Session 4 Chair: Katherine Jones, Charles River Laboratories |
| 15:35 | Sebastien Thibaudeau, ACTIV-H Unlocking Unprecedented Drug Analogues through Superacid-Promoted Late-Stage Functionalization |
| 15:50 | Sophie Rousseaux, University of Toronto New Strategies for the Synthesis and Functionalization of Small Rings |
| 16:30 | Closing Remarks |
| 16:35 | Close |
Exhibition/Sponsor Opportunities
Exhibitor package is priced at £200.00 and includes:
– Name and URL link on BMCS event page
– Company logo included in the electronic handbook and rolling slides at the event
– A4 promotional page in the electronic handbook
– Access to the online meeting
Exhibitor plus package is priced at £400.00 and includes:
– Name and URL link on BMCs event page
– Company logo included in the electronic handbook and rolling slides at the event
– A4 promotional page in the electronic handbook
– 3 minute pre-recorded video to be played on loop during the breaks
– Access to the online meeting
Pre-Conference Email Blast (£250.00)
– One email sent to the conference delegates prior to the meeting
Please click here to register for an exhibitor/sponsor package.
Confirmed Exhibitors and Sponsors
Organising Committee
Katherine Jones, Charles River (Chair)
Martin Swarbrick, Pharmaron (Treasurer)
Andrew Williams, RSC BMCS
Pradip Songara, Rothamsted Research
Secretariat Contact and Further Information
Hg3 Conferences Ltd
+44 (0)1423 529333
E-mail
