05/2014
Discover this journal online at:
wileyonlinelibrary.com
ChemMedChem, European in origin but international in scope, deals with all aspects of drug discovery. It is co-owned by Chemistry Publishing Society Europe (ChemPubSoc Europe) and is published by Wiley-VCH. Contributions in ChemMedChem cover medicinal and pharmaceutical sciences, drug design, drug development and delivery, molecular modeling, combinatorial chemistry, target validation, lead generation, and ADMET studies, that is, research from the overlapping areas between biology, chemistry, and medicine. ChemMedChem publishes Communications and Full Papers, as well as Reviews, Minireviews, Highlights, Concepts, Essays, Book Reviews, and occasionally Conference Reports. Authors can submit manuscripts to ChemMedChem online through our homepage (see over) by clicking on “Submit an Article” and following the simple instructions. Most of the articles in this issue have already appeared online on wileyonlinelibrary.com. See www.chemmedchem.org under Early View
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400086
Scientific Excellence on the Island of Formosa Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu*[a]
Asia has been emerging as a world leader in the fields of medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences. There are an increasing number of private companies setting up operations in Asia and a significant investment by Asian governments in research and teaching facilities in these fields. As a consequence, the number of articles being published by Asian research groups in leading medicinal journals is growing steadily—according to a quick search in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science, in 2013, articles from Asia accounted for around 20 %, 27 %, and 49 % of all articles published in J. Med. Chem., ChemMedChem, and Eur. J. Med. Chem., respectively.
Societies have long-since supported local communities of scientists, but to unite as a region and to act globally, the role of scientific societies becomes increasingly important. The Asian [a] Prof. R. J.-R. Hwu Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.) E-mail: [email protected]
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (AFMC) was established in 1992 and brings together nine key societies from across Asia to promote cooperation and advancement of the territory in medicinal chemistry and vice versa. The current Member Societies include The Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, The Chemical Society Located in Taipei, Computer-Aided Drug Design and Development Society in Turkey, The Korean Chemical Society, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, The Pharmaceutical Society of Korea, The Royal Australian Chemical Institute, The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan, and the most recently joined Association of Indonesian Medicinal Chemistry. Moreover, Singapore held an observer status and Pakistan has expressed its interest to hold a biannual meeting of the AFMC in the future.
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
863
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
T
he AFMC builds an international society for medicinal chemists. The IUPAC established their Medicinal Chemistry Section in 1988 to provide a link between the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) and the Medicinal Chemistry Division of American Chemical Society (USMC). The AFMC is closely associated with the IUPAC Medicinal Chemistry Section, the EFMC, and the USMC, of which representatives frequently attend the AFMC General Assembly.
Every two years, the AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS) is hosted by a member society. The AIMECS is a seminal event in medicinal chemistry, often attracting large numbers of international delegates from more than 20 countries. During the past two decades, the AIMCS have been held in various locations including Japan, China, Turkey, Australia, etc., and in the past year, Taiwan.
In 2013, the AIMECS was organized on behalf of the AFMC by the National Tsing Hua University and the Chinese Chemical Society Located in Taipei. It was a pleasure for me, during my term as the president of the AFMC, to have the honor of hosting the AIMECS. The AIMECS13 was held at the Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan from October 15th to 18th. Its theme was “Developing New Drugs to Make This World Preferable”. Over the course of the four days, 533 participants (Figure 1) from 24 countries around the world heard five plenary lectures, 58 invited speakers, and 37 oral presenters. In addition, 123 posters were on display throughout the course of the meeting. The presentations, the poster sessions, and the lively social events all added considerably to the scientific discussion (for high-
www.chemmedchem.org lights, see photos on p. 866–867). Session topics ranged from therapeutic antibodies to epigenetics, from natural products to the treatment of emerging viral diseases. It also included nano-medicals, bioinformatics, etc.
This
special issue of ChemMedChem features contributions from presenters at the conference. As Guest Editor, it was a pleasure to receive so many outstanding contributions, highlighting still further the importance of the conference and the quality of research presented. With 21 articles, the special issue encompasses all aspects of medicinal chemistry and exemplifies the diversity of research currently being undertaken in Asia, Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, through collaboration.
While it would be difficult to mention every article individually, it would be remiss if I did not point our contributions from key members of the AFMC and presenters of the AIMECS13. Prof. Ismail Yalcin (Ankara University, Turkey), former president of the AFMC (2006–2008), reports novel human GST P1-1 inhibitors (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400010), while Prof. Ming-Hua Hsu (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan), Secretariat General of the AFMC (2012–2013), describes our most recent results in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma targeting agents (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300521). Excellent contributions to the Special Issue from conference presenters include Full Papers from Prof. Chris Meier (University of Hamburg, Germany) who
Figure 1. Delegates of the 2013 AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS13).
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
864
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL reports the in silico design, synthesis and screening of deoxyhypusine synthase inhibitors for targeting HIV-1 replication (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300481), Prof. Martino Bolognesi (University of Milano, Italy) who describes a way to deliver suramin through liposomal systems as an antiviral agent (DOI: 10.1002/ cmdc.201300563), and Prof. Shudong Wang (University of South Australia, Australia) who reports the discovery of (pyrimidin-4-yl)thiazol-2(3H)-ones as potent Mnk inhibitors (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300552), as well as Communications from Prof. Norio Shibata (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan) who describes an expeditious tool for preparation of pharmaceuticals via click chemistry (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400059) and Dr. Zhiyan Xiao (Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy, China) who reports hit evolution to a novel orally active PTP1B inhibitor (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400007). This small se-
www.chemmedchem.org lection of articles goes some way to exemplify the breadth of topics covered by the Special Issue and the AIMECS13.
T
he next AIMECS will take place on Jeju Island, Korea in October 2015 (www.aimecs2015.org). Organized by the Korean Chemical Society on behalf of the AFMC with Prof. Moon Woo Chun as the president and Prof. Young-Woo Kim as the General Secretary, the AIMECS15 promises to continue the tradition of excellence and outstanding science now expected of the AIMECS. I hope to see many readers of this Special Issue there and to continue the close connection between ChemMedChem and AIMECS for many years to come.
Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu, Ph.D. President, Asian Federation for Medicinal Chemistry; Chairman, AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium 2013; Professor, Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
865
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
Highlights from the AIMECS13
Figure 2. From top left, clockwise: Patrick Woster, Marinda Wu (2013 ACS President) and David Winkler at the Opening Ceremony; EFMC President Uli Stilz and AFMC President Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu at the Welcome Reception; Chris Meier, Hein Coolen, Alain Burger, and Natalia Ortfflzar (Editor-in-Chief, ChemMedChem) on the terrace of the Grand Hotel, Taipei; Ernest Gould, Martino Bolognesi, Johan Neyts, Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu and Wun-Ju Shieh at the Welcome Reception; Speakers enjoying dinner atop Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers; Delegates selecting hand-painted traditional Taiwanese fans at the Welcome Reception.
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
866
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
Figure 3. Images from the Conference Banquet, held at the historical National Palace Museum. From top left, clockwise: AFMC President Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu toasts delegates over dessert; Patrick Gunning and David Winkler enjoy dancing with traditional Taiwanese dancers; Chao Zhao, Esin Aki-Yalcin and Ismail Yalcin dancing together with AIMECS15 representative dressed in traditional Korean attire (far left); Toshi-Hiko Kobayashi presents a Best Poster Award to Suyoung Yoon (Seoul National University).
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
867
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
868
Discover this journal online at:
wileyonlinelibrary.com
ChemMedChem, European in origin but international in scope, deals with all aspects of drug discovery. It is co-owned by Chemistry Publishing Society Europe (ChemPubSoc Europe) and is published by Wiley-VCH. Contributions in ChemMedChem cover medicinal and pharmaceutical sciences, drug design, drug development and delivery, molecular modeling, combinatorial chemistry, target validation, lead generation, and ADMET studies, that is, research from the overlapping areas between biology, chemistry, and medicine. ChemMedChem publishes Communications and Full Papers, as well as Reviews, Minireviews, Highlights, Concepts, Essays, Book Reviews, and occasionally Conference Reports. Authors can submit manuscripts to ChemMedChem online through our homepage (see over) by clicking on “Submit an Article” and following the simple instructions. Most of the articles in this issue have already appeared online on wileyonlinelibrary.com. See www.chemmedchem.org under Early View
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400086
Scientific Excellence on the Island of Formosa Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu*[a]
Asia has been emerging as a world leader in the fields of medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences. There are an increasing number of private companies setting up operations in Asia and a significant investment by Asian governments in research and teaching facilities in these fields. As a consequence, the number of articles being published by Asian research groups in leading medicinal journals is growing steadily—according to a quick search in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science, in 2013, articles from Asia accounted for around 20 %, 27 %, and 49 % of all articles published in J. Med. Chem., ChemMedChem, and Eur. J. Med. Chem., respectively.
Societies have long-since supported local communities of scientists, but to unite as a region and to act globally, the role of scientific societies becomes increasingly important. The Asian [a] Prof. R. J.-R. Hwu Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (R.O.C.) E-mail: [email protected]
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (AFMC) was established in 1992 and brings together nine key societies from across Asia to promote cooperation and advancement of the territory in medicinal chemistry and vice versa. The current Member Societies include The Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, The Chemical Society Located in Taipei, Computer-Aided Drug Design and Development Society in Turkey, The Korean Chemical Society, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, The Pharmaceutical Society of Korea, The Royal Australian Chemical Institute, The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan, and the most recently joined Association of Indonesian Medicinal Chemistry. Moreover, Singapore held an observer status and Pakistan has expressed its interest to hold a biannual meeting of the AFMC in the future.
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
863
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
T
he AFMC builds an international society for medicinal chemists. The IUPAC established their Medicinal Chemistry Section in 1988 to provide a link between the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) and the Medicinal Chemistry Division of American Chemical Society (USMC). The AFMC is closely associated with the IUPAC Medicinal Chemistry Section, the EFMC, and the USMC, of which representatives frequently attend the AFMC General Assembly.
Every two years, the AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS) is hosted by a member society. The AIMECS is a seminal event in medicinal chemistry, often attracting large numbers of international delegates from more than 20 countries. During the past two decades, the AIMCS have been held in various locations including Japan, China, Turkey, Australia, etc., and in the past year, Taiwan.
In 2013, the AIMECS was organized on behalf of the AFMC by the National Tsing Hua University and the Chinese Chemical Society Located in Taipei. It was a pleasure for me, during my term as the president of the AFMC, to have the honor of hosting the AIMECS. The AIMECS13 was held at the Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan from October 15th to 18th. Its theme was “Developing New Drugs to Make This World Preferable”. Over the course of the four days, 533 participants (Figure 1) from 24 countries around the world heard five plenary lectures, 58 invited speakers, and 37 oral presenters. In addition, 123 posters were on display throughout the course of the meeting. The presentations, the poster sessions, and the lively social events all added considerably to the scientific discussion (for high-
www.chemmedchem.org lights, see photos on p. 866–867). Session topics ranged from therapeutic antibodies to epigenetics, from natural products to the treatment of emerging viral diseases. It also included nano-medicals, bioinformatics, etc.
This
special issue of ChemMedChem features contributions from presenters at the conference. As Guest Editor, it was a pleasure to receive so many outstanding contributions, highlighting still further the importance of the conference and the quality of research presented. With 21 articles, the special issue encompasses all aspects of medicinal chemistry and exemplifies the diversity of research currently being undertaken in Asia, Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, through collaboration.
While it would be difficult to mention every article individually, it would be remiss if I did not point our contributions from key members of the AFMC and presenters of the AIMECS13. Prof. Ismail Yalcin (Ankara University, Turkey), former president of the AFMC (2006–2008), reports novel human GST P1-1 inhibitors (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400010), while Prof. Ming-Hua Hsu (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan), Secretariat General of the AFMC (2012–2013), describes our most recent results in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma targeting agents (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300521). Excellent contributions to the Special Issue from conference presenters include Full Papers from Prof. Chris Meier (University of Hamburg, Germany) who
Figure 1. Delegates of the 2013 AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS13).
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
864
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL reports the in silico design, synthesis and screening of deoxyhypusine synthase inhibitors for targeting HIV-1 replication (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300481), Prof. Martino Bolognesi (University of Milano, Italy) who describes a way to deliver suramin through liposomal systems as an antiviral agent (DOI: 10.1002/ cmdc.201300563), and Prof. Shudong Wang (University of South Australia, Australia) who reports the discovery of (pyrimidin-4-yl)thiazol-2(3H)-ones as potent Mnk inhibitors (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201300552), as well as Communications from Prof. Norio Shibata (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan) who describes an expeditious tool for preparation of pharmaceuticals via click chemistry (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400059) and Dr. Zhiyan Xiao (Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy, China) who reports hit evolution to a novel orally active PTP1B inhibitor (DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201400007). This small se-
www.chemmedchem.org lection of articles goes some way to exemplify the breadth of topics covered by the Special Issue and the AIMECS13.
T
he next AIMECS will take place on Jeju Island, Korea in October 2015 (www.aimecs2015.org). Organized by the Korean Chemical Society on behalf of the AFMC with Prof. Moon Woo Chun as the president and Prof. Young-Woo Kim as the General Secretary, the AIMECS15 promises to continue the tradition of excellence and outstanding science now expected of the AIMECS. I hope to see many readers of this Special Issue there and to continue the close connection between ChemMedChem and AIMECS for many years to come.
Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu, Ph.D. President, Asian Federation for Medicinal Chemistry; Chairman, AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium 2013; Professor, Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
865
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
Highlights from the AIMECS13
Figure 2. From top left, clockwise: Patrick Woster, Marinda Wu (2013 ACS President) and David Winkler at the Opening Ceremony; EFMC President Uli Stilz and AFMC President Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu at the Welcome Reception; Chris Meier, Hein Coolen, Alain Burger, and Natalia Ortfflzar (Editor-in-Chief, ChemMedChem) on the terrace of the Grand Hotel, Taipei; Ernest Gould, Martino Bolognesi, Johan Neyts, Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu and Wun-Ju Shieh at the Welcome Reception; Speakers enjoying dinner atop Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers; Delegates selecting hand-painted traditional Taiwanese fans at the Welcome Reception.
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
866
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
Figure 3. Images from the Conference Banquet, held at the historical National Palace Museum. From top left, clockwise: AFMC President Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu toasts delegates over dessert; Patrick Gunning and David Winkler enjoy dancing with traditional Taiwanese dancers; Chao Zhao, Esin Aki-Yalcin and Ismail Yalcin dancing together with AIMECS15 representative dressed in traditional Korean attire (far left); Toshi-Hiko Kobayashi presents a Best Poster Award to Suyoung Yoon (Seoul National University).
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
867
CHEMMEDCHEM EDITORIAL
www.chemmedchem.org
2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
ChemMedChem 2014, 9, 863 – 868
868
