Field of expertise
The Division Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology (previously Farmacochemie) of the KNCV is the Dutch meeting place for everyone involved in medicinal chemistry research. Medicinal chemistry* is concerned with the design and development of biologically active compounds for use as pharmaceutical drugs. In order to develop a new drug, medicinal chemists are involved in the design, organic synthesis, isolation, structural elucidation and pharmacological-toxicological testing of biologically active compounds, as well as research into the proteins and other targets affected by the active substances. The interpretation of molecular-level biological activities and the establishment of structure-activity relationships (SAR) play an important role. There is much overlap with Chemical Biology, which involves the application of chemical techniques, analysis, and often small molecules produced through synthetic chemistry, to the study and manipulation of biological systems.
*See ‘EFMC Position Paper on Medicinal Chemistry’ at http://www.efmc.info/
