By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : August 24, 2026 11:45 am
The event focused on emerging advances in medicinal chemistry, drug design, target identification, computational drug discovery and more, with discussions aimed at bridging fundamental research and clinical applications
More than 500 academicians, researchers, industry professionals and students participated in a two-day national conference on “Frontiers in Drug Discovery: A Medicinal Chemist’s Perspective” organised by SRM College of Pharmacy, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST).
The conference focused on emerging advances in medicinal chemistry, drug design, target identification, computational drug discovery, natural product-based research and translational science, with discussions aimed at bridging fundamental research and clinical applications.
Organised under the leadership of Dr. V. Chitra, Dean, SRM College of Pharmacy and Conference Convenor, the event brought together experts to discuss developments in drug discovery and the changing research landscape in pharmaceutical sciences.
Dr. T Mythili, Additional Registrar, SRMIST, highlighted the need to strengthen connections between academic learning, research and real-world healthcare requirements. She said scientific conferences provide students and researchers with opportunities to engage with emerging developments, exchange ideas and understand how pharmaceutical research can translate into improved healthcare outcomes.
Dr. Sunil K Narayan, Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, emphasised the growing importance of interdisciplinary research in drug discovery. He noted that bringing together diverse scientific disciplines, technologies and perspectives can help transform promising research ideas into clinically relevant solutions.
Dr. Meenakshi Munshi, Former Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, stressed the need to strengthen India's research ecosystem and encourage young scientists to pursue innovative and translational research addressing unmet healthcare needs.
The scientific programme covered advances in medicinal chemistry and drug design, natural products chemistry, analytical chemistry, drug discovery for metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders and emerging pharmaceutical R&D approaches.
The conference also featured oral, poster and e-poster presentations, enabling students and researchers to showcase their work and interact with peers from academia and industry.
The event underscored the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, scientific exchange and translational research in accelerating drug discovery and developing new therapeutic solutions, while providing young researchers with exposure to emerging opportunities in pharmaceutical research.