The Interdisciplinary Conference on Drug Sciences “ACCORD 2024” was held on May 23-25.
- The Conference already has a permanent place in the calendar of events as the only international conference in Poland devoted to broad aspects of drug research - emphasized Piotr Luliński, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, during the opening of the Conference.
- The first conference turned out to be a success and attracted a lot of interest, but I think it is about more than just interest. The point is that there is a need to organize such meetings - noted the Rector, Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong. And he added: -The main goal for pharmacy, for science, in Poland and around the world is progress and innovation. We need innovation in pharmacy.
Why ACCORD?
The most important goal of the event is to integrate scientific and business communities. This year’s edition was attended by almost 200 participants from academic centers and pharmaceutical and chemical companies from, among others, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Great Britain and the USA. Participation in the conference was not only an opportunity to expand knowledge and obtain the latest information, but also to establish cooperation and perhaps plan joint research projects.
- Drug research is, in sports terms, a team game - explained Prof. Przemysław Dorożyński - In pharmaceutical sciences, when searching for new active substances or developing the formulation of a medicinal product, we integrate knowledge in the field of chemistry, biology, physics, statistics, and recently also broadly understood computer science. Therefore, the idea of the conference from the very beginning was to connect experts from various fields in order to learn effective communication between different areas of science.
What’s on the agenda?
Conference participants could listen to lectures by renowned speakers from around the world, dealing with issues related to drug research. The topics of their speeches included molecular design and modeling of new structures, synthesis of active substances and development of drug forms, as well as biological, preclinical and clinical research. The list of lecturers can be found on the conference website.
There was also a panel discussion with representatives of the world of science:Prof. Dario Braga, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak and Prof. Ewa Szczurek and business representatives: Dr. Susan Reutzel-Edens and Dr. Anna Krause. The conversation focused on the current conditions and prospects for the development of drug research. Future directions and ways to bridge the gap between basic research and its practical applications were also discussed.
The conference also included scientific sessions during which 112 posters were presented, including 29 in the form of short presentations.
Additionally, registered participants could take part in a physiology-based pharmacokinetic modeling course and in a course on functionality of a crystallographic database of small organic molecules.
Awards and distinctions
An important part of the event was the presentation of Prof. Stanisław Biniecki Award. It recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of drug research. This time it was awarded to Dr. Vittorio Canale from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University.
- Dr. Vittorio Canale was honored for his successes in researching new potential drugs for diseases of the central nervous system and for developing high-efficiency, ecological methods of obtaining active compounds - said Maciej Dawidowski, Chair of the International Committee considering candidacies for Prof. Stanisław Biniecki Award.
The award of the Polish Society of Medicinal Chemistry for the best poster in the field of medicinal chemistry went to Nadia Diyuk (“Sonidegib bioisosteres: activity and ADME properties”), while distinctions went to Marta Splandesci (“Exploring new classes of sulfoximine derivatives of potential biological activity”) and Oleg Demchuk (“Development of a novel family of antifungal agents based on a quinone methide oxime framework”).
Awards for young scientists for the best posters at the “ACCORD 2024” conference went to:
- Alina Cherniienko for “Optimization of Quinoxaline Derivatives Synthesis Using Novel Green Analytical Technique of In situ FTIR/Microwave Irradiation Coupled System”;
- Katarzyna Strzelecka for “Preparation and characterization of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer/camptothecin complex loaded biodegradable nanosystems for potential application in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer”;
- Sandra Gajewska for “Development of efficient system for human adenylate kinase 4 (AK4) production and evaluation of the inhibitory potency of suramin and its derivatives against AK4”;
- Aldona Minecka for “Mesoporous Matrices as a Promising New Generation of Carriers for Multipolymorphic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Aripiprazole”;
- Aleksandra Rzewińska for “Influence of lactose particle size distribution on the performance of inhaled drug product”;
- Ewelina Juszczyk for “Formulation development strategy of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for intravenous administration of mRNA”.
Hosts and patronage
The second edition of the international Interdisciplinary Conference on Drug Sciences “ACCORD 2024” could take place thanks to the great commitment of the scientific and organizational committee, consisting of scientific, teaching and administrative employees of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Medical University of Warsaw. The Chair of the scientific committee was Prof. Przemysław Dorożyński from the Department and Section of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology of the Medical University of Warsaw, and the Chair of the organizing committee was Joanna Giebułtowicz, PhD, Dsc from the Department of Drug Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis of the Medical University of Warsaw.
Held under the patronage of His Magnificence the Rector of MUW and the Honorary Patronage of the Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and the Governor of the Mazovia Province, the conference also received support from prestigious organizations including the Polish Pharmaceutical Society, the Polish Chemical Society, the National Medicines Institute, the Polish Society of Medicinal Chemistry, the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products, the Medical Research Agency, the National Centre for Research and Development, the Committee of Therapeutics and Drug Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Polish Association of Self-Medication Industry, the Polish Society of Mass Spectrometry, the “Pro Pharmacia Futura” Foundation, the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber, and the Polish Union of Innovative Medical Biotechnology Companies BioInMed.
The next “ACCORD” conference will be held in 2026 under the slogan “Sky is the Limit”.
