Dear Colleagues,

The 2009 Combinatorial Chemistry; High Throughput Chemistry and Chemical Biology Gordon Research Conference will be held June 7-12 at Colby Sawyer College, New London, NH. This year we will hold the first Gordon Research Seminar for our conference the weekend prior to the GRC, June 6-7. This year’s vice chair is Dr. Michael Foley, of the Broad Institute, and the two co-chairs for the GRS are Dr. Alan Rolfe and Thiwanka B. Samarakoon, both students in the chemistry department at the University of Kansas. Combinatorial chemistry is a dynamic, rapidly evolving field and has different meaning to various scientists. The combinatorial chemistry community has contributed significantly towards the evolution of the drug discovery process with the major emphasis in the field evolving towards methods to accelerate lead generation / lead optimization, focused parallel synthesis, high throughput technology, and chemical biology. This year’s program will feature cutting edge talks bridging the disciplines of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology applied towards high speed synthesis, parallel chemistry approaches, rapid generation of structure activity relationships to accelerate drug discovery, and the discovery of small molecule probes to discover and elucidate molecular pathways. Feedback based on reports of monitors and attendee self-evaluation has given this meeting an excellent rating. A review of the 2008 program will give you an idea of the range of topics typically covered. Participants are encouraged to present posters. 2008 poster winners; Benjamin L. Miller, University of Rochester; Marco Schmidt, Leibniz-Institute for Molecular-Pharmacology Berlin; and Ann Kelly; Broad Institute, will be presenting talks this year.

The GRC and accompanying GRS Combinatorial Chemistry High throughput Chemistry and Chemical Biology will continue the tradition of excellent science in a relaxed atmosphere. I would like to encourage the application and attendance of scientists from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including women, minorities, graduate students, post docs, academic, and industrial researchers to the Conference. Continued corporate support in terms of leading edge talks, conference attendance, and financial backing is essential to insure that combinatorial chemistry continues to meet the needs of the drug discovery and probe development community in the future. I look forward to an outstanding conference in 2009 and thank you for your support and interest.

Joseph M. Salvino, PhD
Chair, 2009 GRC on Combinatorial Chemistry
Cephalon, Inc.