Future of drug discovery and development to be highlighted at 2011 BPS Winter Meeting

The future of drug discovery and development at the bench and in the boardroom will be highlighted at a major international pharmacology conference in London, Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 December.

The 2011 British Pharmacological Society (BPS) Winter Meeting is a sell-out, attracting almost 900 scientists, many of whom carry out cutting-edge work throughout the world.

The meeting begins on Tuesday with separate sessions focusing on new developments in medical cannabidiol, and family B G protein- coupled receptors. A further symposium on Pharmacology in Drug Development and Regulation provides the backdrop, highlighting the focus on innovation, drug safety and compliance without which modern medicines may fail.

Wednesday 14 December promises a packed agenda of international pharmacology: a symposium on the Clinical Pharmacology of Drug Development and Clinical Research in China, which is held jointly with the Chinese Pharmacological Society, brings cutting edge science from Asia's powerhouse economy right to the heart of London. Meanwhile, scientific excellence from America is celebrated in Professor Doris Taylor's contribution to the session on stem cells: Engineering Cell Based Solutions for Cardiovascular Diseases.

BPS President Professor Ray Hill's mini-symposium on the Future of Drug Discovery in the UK could not be better timed, coming one week after announcements of major changes to the use of patient data by researchers. In this session, representatives from biotech, learned societies and the pharmaceutical industry will combine to discuss the newly fragmented industrial landscape, and how the sector must adapt to survive.

On the same day, core scientific research in novel areas of drug discovery is provided by the session, Working Towards an Understanding of TRPA 1.

One of the world's biggest killers - heart disease - is tackled on Thursday, during a symposium which explores the potential for the cannabinoid system to act as a target for cardiovascular disease. Further sessions on Gasotransmitters as Physiological Mediators, and innovative drug programmes to target inflammation, offer opportunities to explore the cutting edge of pharmacological research.

The meeting includes a selection of topical poster sessions, which cover the many aspects of pharmacology from basic science to more applied clinical research. Keynote lectures from a stellar list of contributors complete the scientific programme.

Ray Hill, President of the British Pharmacological Society, said: "We believe that our annual Winter Meeting is the most attractive joint pharmacology and clinical pharmacology meeting in Europe, as shown by the programme of international speakers and organisations that are represented, and the large number of submissions it attracts from around the world."