FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 2004.

IBC Life Sciences: Chemists and Biologists Collaborate on Advances in Drug Discovery.

Conference to Focus on Success Stories to Boost Drug Compounds in Pipeline.

WESTBOROUGH, MASS.-October 21, 2004-With research and development spending reaching close to $350 million, medicinal chemists are looking for new techniques to boost potential drug candidates. Lead optimization, the process to identify potential drug leads, is an integral component in discovery and development.

IBC's Hit to Lead Success Stories conference, set for January 31-February 1, 2005 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, California has put together an event that reveals progressive data and creative strategies to overcome the many challenges for chemists and biologists in their hit to lead processes. The process helps scientists working in pharmaceutical or biotechnology to progress from a hit to a lead to a drug candidate.

Conference highlights include:

Validated data presented by a diverse line-up of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, AstraZeneca, Merck, Jerini AG, Pharmacopeia, Serono, Aventis, Amgen, Pfizer, Roche, Neogenesis, Locus, Eli Lilly, Wyeth, Bristol-Myers Squibb and more.

Scientific debate on theories for lead-likeness vs. drug-likeness, target class tractability, library design, chemical methodologies and pharmaceutical profiling assays for drug-like properties.

Presentations on novel techniques for discovery and optimization, such as computational strategies, cheminformatics, fragment-based approaches, structure-based design and microwave synthesis methods.

Additionally, attendees will participate in the timely discussion on Bridging the Chemistry/ Biology Divide. The discussion investigates the interface, communication and integration of biology, chemistry, modeling and screening groups within drug discovery teams. The speaker faculty and scientific advisory board will discuss the problems in chemistry today and unravel the latest strategies that will speed validated compounds into the pipeline.

IBC Life Sciences
IBC Life Sciences is an independent organizer providing an unbiased forum for the evaluation of current research, market trends, technological developments and applications. IBC Life Sciences is part of IBC USA Conferences, Inc., a division of T&F Informa plc (London: TFI). T&F Informa was created through the merger of Informa Group plc and Tarylor & Francis Group plc in May of 2004. The two companies are market leaders in providing specialist information to commercial and academic markets through conferences and trade events, as well as the publication of academic, scientific and professional books, journals and newsletters. IBC USA Conferences is headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts.

View the complete conference agenda at http://www.IBCLifeSciencesInfo.com/H2L

CONTACTS:

Contact: Andrew White IBC Life Sciences (508) 616-5550 x227 awhite@informausa.com