On August 16, 2019, the 2019 Chinese Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (CMCS 2019) &CPA-EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry sponsored by Chinese Pharmaceutical Association (CPA), undertaken by State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Pharmaceutical College of Sichuan University, and co-organized by Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association were held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Sun Xianze, president of CPA, Sun Yanrong, vice director of CNCBD, Xu Weilin, vice-president of Sichuan University, Zhang Lihe, academician of Peking University School of Pharmaceutical Science, Chen Kaixian, academician of Shanghai Institute of Meteria Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yang Shengyong, professor of College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Zou Weiping, professor  University of Michigan, the US, Dr Yves Patrick Auberson, president of European Federation For Medicinal Chemistry ( EFMC), Dr Antoni Torrens Jover, dean of EFMC, and other world-famous pharmaceutical chemical experts and enterprises attended the ceremony. Wei Yuquan, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, director of State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Sichuan University, president of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association attended the Symposium and gave keynote speech.

The theme of the Symposium was "focus on new targets, new technologies, new molecules, boost the original drug research and development and transformation". The topic of CPA-EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry was "exploring new approaches to tumor immunotherapy", which included hot issues such as artificial intelligence and drug molecular design, new methods and processes of drug synthesis, and frontier fields of pharmaceutical chemistry. The Symposium attracted nearly 2500 delegates from universities, research institutes, hospitals and pharmaceutical R&D enterprises in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as pharmaceutical chemistry representatives from the UK, the US, Japan and other countries. In the following 3 days, they shared cutting-edge research results in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry and exchanged their experiences from basic research to industrialization.

Professor Yang shengyong, executive chairman of the conference, served as host of the opening ceremony of the Symposium. He grandly presented the experts on site and warmly welcomed the participants and media representatives from afar.

Yang Shengyong, professor of College of Chemistry, Sichuan University

In the presentation part, Wei Yuquan, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, president of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association shared the research progress of tumor microenvironment and biological targeted therapy. He said genomics has brought new opportunities for tumor immunotherapy and gene therapy, and mentioned the application of immune cell therapy, CAR-T cell therapy, tumor protein or peptide vaccine to individual treatment of tumor patients.

Wei Yuquan, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, president of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association

At the conference, academician Chen Kaixian delivered speech as the Symposium chairman. Since the establishment of Chinese Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, the highest-level scientific event in the field of medicinal chemistry research in China, the number of participants has continued to expand, the exchange and cooperation platform has gradually improved, and academic influence has deepened, said academician Chen. The Symposium was unprecedented in scale, with more than 2500 people registered and more than 260 academic reports, which fully reflected the vigorous development of the field of pharmaceutical chemistry in China and the strong momentum to forge ahead. The Symposium played an important role in analyzing and discussing the development trend of medicinal chemistry in China and grasping the development trend of international disciplines. It would definitely lay a solid foundation for improving the level of drug research and innovation in China, promoting the healthy development of pharmacy disciplines, and providing scientific research power.

Chen Kaixian, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences

In the speech, professor Xu Weilin, vice president of Sichuan University, said that Chinese Medicinal Chemistry Symposium was the highest-level scientific gathering in the field of pharmacochemistry research in China. The theme and topic of each session were very cutting-edge and innovative. The successful convening of the Symposium would be conducive to further dissemination of cutting-edge knowledge in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry, further defining the direction and tasks of the future development of new drugs, and further promoting international academic exchanges and cooperation in pharmaceutical chemistry.

Xu Weilin, vice-president of Sichuan University

Sun Yanrong, vice director of CNCBD, pointed out in her speech that in 2018, CNCBD was entrusted by the department of major projects to jointly carry out research on the development of major new drugs by 2035 and the continuation of major national science and technology projects. Our country has made great progress in the development of new drugs, and we have truly realized the historic transformation from imitation to combination of creation and imitation, and then to innovation. In the future, we should continue to place the development of new drugs in an important historical position and support the development of this field with more persistent and stable central finance. The Symposium would definitely improve our innovation capability and self-confidence, so that we can work together to bring the dreams of every scientist and every entrepreneur together to realize the dream of new drug development. By 2035, China is sure to make greater progress in new drug development.

Sun Yanrong, vice director of CNCBD,

Then, Sun Xianze, president of CPA and deputy director general of State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) gave speech. President Sun said that CPA has been developing for 112 years and become a scientific and technological group with extensive influence in the pharmaceutical field at home and abroad. In the future, it would continue to lead people in the pharmaceutical industry to carry out in-depth academic exchanges, make unremitting efforts to promote the development of pharmaceutical industry in China, maintain public health, and make new contributions to the prosperity and development of pharmaceutical industry in China. In the meanwhile, president Sun also stressed that China marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this year, a crucial year for securing the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. We should stick to the idea put forward by general secretary Xi that innovation is the primary driving force and talents are the primary resource, implement the strategy of innovation-driven development, improve the national innovation system, accelerate independent innovation in key and core technologies, and create new introduction for economic and social development. In addition, president Sun Xianze highly praised Sichuan provincial government and Chengdu municipal government for issuing a series of supporting policies on promoting the healthy development of pharmaceutical industry, including implementation opinions, rewards and incentives, and achievement transformation. They strive to build Chengdu into a world-class medical and health industry highland, accelerate the construction of a world-class trillion-level modern medical industry system with international competitiveness and regional driving force.

Sun Xianze, president of CPA and deputy director general of SFDA

Then, in the 2019 Annual Award Ceremony of Servier Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Ms. Gao Man, sales director of Servier China, pointed out that the original intention of  "CPA - Servier young pharmaceutical chemistry award" sponsered by Servier and CPA has never changed. Servier and CPA would jointly promote the prosperity and development of pharmaceutical science and technology, promote the growth and improvement of pharmaceutical talents, and promote the combination and transformation of pharmaceutical science and technology and industry, so as to ultimately serve the patients.

Gao Man, sales director of Servier China

Academician Zhang Lihe, chairman of academic board, announced the winners of Servier pharmaceutical chemistry award. In his speech, he especially thanked Servier research institute for its contribution to the development of pharmaceutical industry in China and sincerely welcomed continue cooperation. He also pointed out that the implementation of national innovation-driven development strategy has brought rare opportunities for the development of pharmaceutical research. The research and development of innovative drugs have broad prospects. With the optimization of domestic policy environment, the increase of capital injected into the pharmaceutical industry and the return of high-tech talents, the innovation in drugs in China has huge potential space and future development impetus. There is still a long way to go for China's original drug research and development and transformation. It needs the joint efforts of all research and development staff to seize the opportunity, speed up innovation and build a stronger international competitiveness of China's pharmaceutical industry with independent intellectual property rights.

Academician Zhang Lihe, chairman of academic board

Sector of awarding, professor Ouyang Liang from State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Sichuan University, a member unit of Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association won the 2019 Servier award for medicinal chemistry.

Group photo ( the fourth on the right is professor Ouyang Liang)

Annex: the highlights of the opening ceremony