August 9, 2022

September 16, 2022: OmegaChem to host its first Omega Symposium

As a major employer of world-class scientific talent in the Quebec City area, OmegaChem is proud of its commitment to supporting young scientists and chemistry students as they build their careers in drug discovery.

This fall, OmegaChem will continue that tradition with the first-ever Omega Symposium on September 16, 2022!

The symposium will be a gathering of OmegaChem employees, prominent figures from the pharmaceutical industry and academia, and promising students.

The program of events will include:

• Two lectures at l’Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) – Lévis campus
• A guided visit of OmegaChem’s laboratories
• A presentation on OmegaChem’s flow chemistry capacity
• A poster session, presented by invited graduate students

Food trucks from Chez Victor and ChuMrros will also be on site to provide a meal to attendees.

Key lectures from two world-class scientists in drug discovery

OmegaChem is delighted that Professor André Charette of Université de Montréal and Dr. Jinglan Zhou of Vertex Pharmaceuticals will present lectures to attendees at the start of the symposium.

Professor André Charette will present a lecture entitled “Continuous flow synthesis as a tool for methodology development and API synthesis”. Andre’s research aims at developing new catalytic methods for the stereoselective synthesis of bioactive organic compounds, which are more powerful than existing methods and compatible with sustainable chemistry. His research is contributing to the development of new molecules with applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemistry, biology, and food and materials science.

Dr. Jinglan Zhou will host a lecture entitled “Discovery of Ivacaftor, a CFTR Potentiator for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis”.

Jinglan joined Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2004 where she is currently a Senior Research Fellow. At Vertex, she has contributed to the advancement of more than 10 clinical candidates in the areas of cystic fibrosis and pain. She was a key member of the chemistry team that discovered Ivacaftor (VX-770), Lumacaftor (VX-809), Tezacaftor (VX-661) and Elexacaftor (VX-445), the four marketed drugs for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

In 2013, Jinglan and her teammates received the Heroes of Chemistry award from the American Chemistry Society for their contributions to Ivacaftor, the first medicine to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis.

Poster session for next generation of drug discovery scientists

The symposium will conclude with a poster session, featuring presentations from promising graduate students in Canadian institutions.

Graduate students in attendance will be invited to submit their presentation for the poster session in advance, and the best presentations will receive prizes with a total value of $1,000.

OmegaChem is excited to welcome attendees to our first Omega Symposium, and we look forward to hosting this lively exchange of ideas!

Places are limited, so please register by emailing [email protected] to avoid disappointment!

Registration is open until August 15, 2022.