Scope

INTERNATIONAL CBI CONFERENCE

"Integration of Chem-Bio-Pharma Informatics       for Rational Drug Development and e-ADMET"

(July 24-26, Komaba Eminerce, Tokyo)

Message from the Chairman     In May 2005, our CBI Society held a seminar entitled "Toward development of e-ADMET." The fact that so many attended the workshop made us realize again that CBI society members and non-members alike are very interested in this issue. ADMET, which represents both pharmacokinetics and toxicity, has had a key role in drug development and usage; and the recognition of its importance has been continuing to increase more and more. Nevertheless, there are many problems with ADMET, such as its cost, speed, and so on, to be solved to further expand its use for drug development.     To overcome these problems, we need to establish a novel method. One way to do this is to develop e-ADMET, by which we can enable advancements in drug development by relying less on "wet" approaches (experimentation), and more on "dry" approaches (informatics and computational science) that can efficiently utilize the knowledge accumulated by our predecessors. Once we establish this approach, the way of carrying out drug development becomes changed, resulting in monetary savings and more efficient use of personnel, materials, and time. Moreover, issues regarding the use of experimental animals and human tissues become less related to drug development.     I believe that for rational drug development to be successful, it is necessary to know chemistry and biology, and to understand phenomena and their mechanisms derived from interactions between chemicals and the body. Pharmaceutical science is a study integrating these issues. Medicines (drugs) are not just about chemicals. Medicines accompanied by information is "Medicine." The members of CBI society are multidisciplinary; that is, our fields cover chemistry, biology, informatics, computational science, pharmaceutical science, and their "wet" and "dry" studies. This means that our society can provide the best platform for a brainstorming project about rational drug development.     On the basis of this current background, the 2006 annual meeting of the CBI society is entitled "Integration of Chem-Bio-Pharma Informatics for Rational Drug Development and e-ADMET." I hope that the 2006 annual meeting, which consists of thematic sessions as well as regular sessions, becomes an indispensable opportunity for attendees to get something new and innovative for advancing rational drug development and e-ADMET.

Takashi Mizuma, Ph.D. Chairman of the 2006 annual meeting (Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science)