Tackling MedChem Bias One Functional Group at a Time
Flash Talk with Guest, Gilles Ouvry, Ph.D.
Hosted by Drug Hunter's Director of Industry Research & Relations Dennis Koester, Ph.D.
September 19, 2024 at 8 AM PDT / 11 AM EDT / 5PM CEST
As medicinal chemists, we all have biases when looking at molecules and even just at functional groups. We occasionally encounter functional groups in drug candidates that are far from typical. Some groups may seem unusual at first glance, raising questions about their previous use and the specific impact they have on a compound's properties.
In this Flash Talk, Gilles Ouvry, will explore four functional groups that have not been in the mainstream of medicinal chemistry. He will focus on oxamides, alkyl hydroxamates, phosphonates, and alkyl chlorides, and explain why they deserve a second look. Gilles will provide data on key drug discovery aspects such as physicochemical and ADME properties, conformation and molecular interactions for each case. This data will hopefully change the collective view on these underutilized functional groups and encourage their consideration in future drug discovery efforts.
Gilles is currently Vice President of Chemistry at NRG Therapeutics working on novel mitochondrial transition pore inhibitors for the treatment of ALS and Parkinson’s disease. He has over 20 years of experience in industry in both large pharmaceutical (AstraZeneca), mid-size pharmaceutical (Galderma) and CRO (SCYNEXIS and Evotec) organizations. He has been involved in multiple projects from hit finding/lead generation to late lead optimization, targeting nuclear hormone receptors, GPCRs and kinases in oncology, dermatology and CNS disease settings.
Gilles is an authority on small molecule conformations. He is renowned for his engaging content on LinkedIn, covering topics from conformation diagrams to the analysis of specific ligand-protein interactions and DMPK-related content.
Join us for an illuminating exploration of medicinal chemistry data on four lesser-known functional groups.