RCSI is hosting the COST D39 action meeting on metallo-drug design and action. Over 100 researchers from across Europe, South Africa, the United States and Australia will attend the two-day conference.

COST D39, which has been in operation since 2006, aims to increase European cooperation and interaction in scientific and technical research and in particular to increase knowledge and understanding of the design and mechanisms of action of metallo-drugs in order to develop new classes of these drugs with novel mechanisms of action and novel spectra of biomedical activity.

COST D39 has been hugely successful in terms of knowledge, sample and personnel exchanges, nurturing collaborative and cross-disciplinary scientific research. Within the Action, technology transfer is an important activity, with a number of compounds already in clinical trials and different stages of assessment in cooperation with industrial partners.

An additional highlight of the Action are the ‘short-term scientific missions', which enables young researchers' avail of opportunities to work in the labs of collaborators in other countries.

Giving the welcome address this morning, Professor Cathal Kelly, Chief Executive/Registrar of RCSI, said: "A researcher's job is to explore and to create partnerships that ultimately lead to scientific contributions to society. Scientific collaboration and the quality of the partnerships that are forged through successful initiatives such as COST D39 will ensure that Europe holds a strong position in the field of scientific and technical research."

The conference is organised by Celine Marmion, Patricia Whyte, Christina Mara, Darren Griffith, James Parker and Rosemary Donohoe from the Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry.