The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 265 No 7105 p107
July 15, 2000 The Conference

Pharmaceutical sciences

Future impacts on drug therapies

The science programme at this year's British Pharmaceutical Conference breaks all records, with 22 symposia over the four days, four lectures by award winners and more than 100 poster presentations each day. The science programme has been masterminded by this year's Science Chairman, Professor Martyn Davies (University of Nottingham), with a view to providing current perspectives and future vision on areas that will have a substantial impact on drug therapies over the next decade. As with the professional programme, the theme is one of multidisciplinary developments. Sunday The Sunday sees the innovation of a young scientists symposium followed by a plenary session for all pharmaceutical scientists on "Medicines for the new millennium", with speakers Professor Gordon McVie (director general of the Cancer Research Campaign) and Professor Sir David Lane (University of Dundee). The award lecture on the Sunday is by Professor Bob Langer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), winner of the Glaxo Wellcome international achievement award, whose work in tissue engineering hit the headlines last year when the international media reported the growth of a human ear on a mouse. His subject will be "Advances in drug delivery and tissue engineering".

Overview Conference essentials Practice and profession Practice research Other groups Exhibition and science fair Social programme Conference programme

Monday The science programme on the Monday starts with a regular conference feature, the Science Chairman's address, given by Professor Martyn Davies (University of Nottingham). The day continues with two microbiology symposia, a pharmaceutical analysis symposium on "lab-on-a-chip", two symposia on drug discovery, two symposia on drug delivery and a special lunchtime session on national initiatives in drug delivery. Monday's sessions all feature international experts and leading edge researchers.
Monday's medal lecture is by Dr Andrew Lloyd (University of Brighton), winner of the Conference science medal, who will speak on "Biomaterials, biomimesis and biocompatibility".

Tuesday On the Tuesday, the programme continues with two symposia on biopharmaceutics, two more symposia on drug delivery, a symposium and short papers on pharmaceutical analysis and two symposia on materials science.
The Astra Zeneca industrial achievement award is the plenary presentation on Tuesday. Its subject is "The pharmaceutical industry and the evolution of molecular medicine" with Dr George Poste (former president of research and development, Smithkline Beecham).
On the Tuesday morning, for the first time, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Scientists joins the Industrial Pharmacists Group to run a joint session on the topical subject of "Intellectual property transfer from academia to industry".

Wednesday Wednesday's programme includes a session on the genomic revolution and symposia on "New materials and processes", "Pharmacognosy" and "Genetic factors in drug therapy".
The day starts with a plenary session for all conference members at which Professor Ray Baker (chief executive, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) will speak on the impact of the genomic revolution on medicine. And at lunchtime, Oxford university's professor of the public understanding of science, Professor Richard Dawkins, will give this year's Conference lecture.
After lunch, Wednesday's award lecture, "Illuminating drug discovery", will be given by the winner of the Harrison memorial medal, Professor Bob Davis (University of Nottingham).

Posters

Over 100 posters will be displayed each day in Hall 4 of the ICC. Each evening from 5 tp 6pm, the presenters will be available to discuss their findings and to share a glass of wine with conference members.