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<p>Dear all </p>
<p>Registration is now open for the Future of Fragments symposium on
28/29 November at Diamond Light Source, UK.<br>
</p>
<p> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/2016/Future-of-Fragments-Symposium.html">http://www.diamond.ac.uk/Home/Events/2016/Future-of-Fragments-Symposium.html</a></p>
Places will be tight, so register early to give us time to gauge
whether we must adapt plans.<br>
<br>
<br>
<u>Overview</u><br>
Crystal-based fragment screening of novel protein targets linked to
disease has truly come of age: Diamond's XChem facility has been
operating a regular user program since 2015, with other synchrotrons
soon to follow suit. A progression of user projects have confirmed
the power of this approach to discover both diverse chemotypes and
unexpected mechanisms of action, especially allosteric binders.<br>
<br>
At the same time, the continued success in unearthing a rich array
of fragment hits has now decisively shifted the bottleneck onto the
question of how to translate hits into high potency leads. This
challenge has highlighted the need for efficient and scalable
methodologies in the areas of library design, label-free assays,
computational compound design and the synthesis of complex lead
molecules.<br>
<br>
This symposium aims to highlight the opportunities that must be
explored if routine fragment screening is to turn into routine lead
discovery. The event will bring together speakers from diverse
disciplines to help define the methodology, focus and goals for
fragment screening in the coming years. <br>
<br>
The four sessions will cover: screening methodology; computational
methods; new synthetic methods; and automated chemistry. <br>
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