Inhibition of human proteases: from target identification to therapy. 23-24 April 1998, Boston, MA, USA

This two-day meeting, sponsored by the Cambridge Healthtech Institute, was attended by around 70 scientists, primarily from the pharmaceutical industry, with a small number from academia. Most of the industry representatives were from smaller companies engaged in drug development; virtually no multinational companies were represented. Four main topics were covered: target identification and pathophysiology; structural analysis and drug design; screening for proteinase inhibitors; and, clinical development. The target identification session was by far the strongest. Only two posters were shown and podium presentations predominated. Several speakers dealt in depth with the chemistry of their company's line of potential inhibitors; a detailed description of the numerous possible chemical modifications is beyond the scope of this review.