Many interesting undergraduate sessions have been planned for this year’s MARM!  Undergraduates will have an opportunity to learn about novel syntheses in medicinal chemistry, things to look for when choosing a graduate school, activities in which their student affiliate chapter may participate, and more!

 

Thursday May 17

9:00-10:00 a.m.      Chapter Presentations – Meet and Greet

                                           9:00 a.m. setup

                                           T-shirt sale

Student Affiliate chapters from various universities attending the conference will present aspects of their creative, informative, and innovative programs with other chapters in a meet and greet poster session.  Come and gain insight regarding new chapter activities for your student affiliate chapter!

 

10:40-11:30          Keynote Speaker

 

Dr. Lori Krim Gavrin -- The Process of Drug Discovery

 

Abstract: The process of developing a new drug is both challenging and exciting.  There are many different phases and each stage is extremely collaborative and intellectually demanding.  Using a real-life example, the development of a potent and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, this presentation will provide an overview of the drug discovery pathway utilized at Wyeth.  The talk will discuss the discovery path: starting with compound screening, and continue through identifying hits, developing and optimizing a lead, and culminating in the creation of a potential pre-clinical drug candidate.  Specific attention will be paid to initial hit identification, in vitro screening analyses, and structure-activity relationships. 

 

1:50-4:50              Delaware Valley Chromatography Forum 2007 Student Award Symposium

[ announcement | session listing ]

 

2:30-4:30              Graduate School Workshop

Representatives from the department of chemistry at Temple University and Rutgers University will discuss the process of applying to graduate school. Graduate students from Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania will be available to share their experiences in the application process as well as to describe their experiences as a graduate student. In addition, Wyn Jennings, a program director at the National Science Foundation, will discuss NSF sponsored opportunities for graduate students such as the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), and the GK-12 Program.

 

7:00-9:00               Undergraduate Dinner

Undergraduates attending 2007 MARM are invited to a local venue for dinner.

 

Friday May 18

10:40-11:20          Keynote Speaker

 

Dr. Scott Sieburth -- Organosilanes in Drug Discovery

 

Abstract: Drug discovery is a confluence of biological, organic and analytical chemistries, coupled with intellectual property considerations.  Silicon, the element most similar in its properties to carbon, has a largely untapped potential in a drug design.  This is in spite of well-developed chemistry and an absence of toxicity for organosilanes.  Substitution of a carbon in a bioactive substance (e.g., 1) with a silicon (2) is the most subtle alteration possible, and generally leads to a new (and therefore patentable) compound.  Silicon can also be used as a source of structures that are not possible, or are not stable, with carbon molecules.  This latter approach is exemplified by the silanediol-based protease inhibitors such as 4, in which the silane mimics the unstable hydrated carbonyl in 3.  Successful examples of these inhibitors and efforts to streamline their synthesis will be discussed, as well as highlights of bioactive organosilane history.