The GDCh Division of Medicinal Chemistry was founded in 1971 and has around 1000 members working in university institutes, research facilities and the pharmaceutical industry. The division bridges the gap between the fields of chemistry, biology, medicine, pharmacy, computer science and engineering. It deals with interdisciplinary issues of modern drug development, in particular drug discovery, lead compound optimisation using modern technologies such as combinatorial synthesis, high-throughput screening systems based on molecular biology principles, drug design, molecular modelling, quantitative structure/effect analyses, pharmacokinetics and metabolism.

The division fosters the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and promotes medicinal chemistry, which is not an established subject in Germany, by

• Organising conferences, workshops and training courses, also together with the German Pharmaceutical Society (DPhG) and the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (EFMC),
• Cooperation between the specialist groups of the GDCh and the DPhG and between universities and the pharmaceutical industry.

It supports young academics and ensures their professional development through

• Training events,
• awarding scholarships for active participation in specialist group events and symposia,
• awarding Promotion prizes,
• awarding of the Innovationspreis Medizinische/Pharmazeutische Chemie - together with the DPhG Fachgruppe Pharmazeutische/Medizische Chemie.

Shortlink to this page: www.gdch.de/medchem

EFMC: Website
EFMC-Young Scientists Network (EFMC-YSN): Website

Free membership for students!

24.-27.03.2026
Münster
Chair: B. Wünsch
Website

Online seminars
of the MedChem specialist group

Online seminars of the EFMC-YSN

Regulations