American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists--annual meeting and exposition: drug discovery and development. 15-19 November 1998, San Francisco, CA, USA.
AAPS is the acronym for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, a relatively young organization, dedicated to the development of the pharmaceutical sciences in the widest sense, from basic research through discovery and development to regulatory affairs and marketing. The association has a membership of over 10,000 scientists, mostly in the US, but with a worldwide representation. The Annual Meeting and Exposition attract about 7000 delegates, including exhibitors. Despite its wide coverage, however, its strength lies in the development and use of technology rather than basic research. Thus in the search for lead compounds, the use of combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening was more evident than novel chemistry or pharmacology, and there was a preponderance of contract research organizations or service companies in the exposition. Nevertheless, the size of the meeting ensured that there was something of interest to everyone most of the time, and the areas of emphasis served as a guide to future trends in drug discovery and the direction of the industry as we approach the new millennium. Typically, at any one time, the delegate could choose amongst three round-table meetings, three symposia, three podium sessions with short papers, and numerous special interest semi-private gatherings, not to mention 2500 posters spread over six sessions during the week. This report concentrates on those aspects which contributed to novel research, or gave major pointers to future directions. Abstracts for the various papers were available to delegates as hard copy and on CD-ROM, in the form of the first supplement of an as yet unpublished all-electronic journal, to be known as PharmSci.
Chamberlain
J
J
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, London, SE1 7JN, UK. JPP@dial.pipex.com