Lead generation and optimisation are integrated and partly intertwined activities in Discovery Chemistry. The former concentrates on the early stages, identifying promising lead structures often from a large number of diverse screening hits, or generating novel compound classes with a high potential for lead optimisation. The latter, i. e. medicinal chemistry, focuses on the later and final stages of transforming the original lead compound into a promising clinical candidate by complex multidimensional optimisation efforts.

Both lead generation and lead optimisation require a high degree of chemical creativity and productivity, broad synthetic knowledge and skills, a good understanding of molecular structures, a capacity to understand and assimilate many aspects of biological, bio-physicochemical and DMPK aspects into the daily work and planning, great flexibility to adapt to new or unexpected results, with a good portion of mental robustness to failure as well as good interdisciplinary communication skills.

Roche organizes every year two unique symposiums, one for chemists and one for bioscientists. These symposiums take place at Roche’s Headquarters in Basle, Switzerland and are good opportunities to learn about modern research at Roche. These symposiums concern successful postgraduates chemists/bioscientists with significant achievements during their Ph.D. or postdoctoral work. 

More information about the Roche Symposium for Leading Bioscientists of the Next Decade you will find here http://euroweb.roche.com/symposium/