Elsevier and MSD Launch Joint Initiative to Foster Global-Local Organic Chemistry Collaboration

Beijing, October 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, the 2019 Chem-Reaxys Academic Week series of events, co-hosted by Chem, the flagship chemistry journal of Cell Press under Elsevier, Elsevier's R&D solutions platform Reaxys, and MSD (Merck & Co., Inc.), was successfully held at Nankai University, Nanjing University, and South China University of Technology. Centered on the theme "Advanced Organic Chemical Synthesis," the event brought together numerous senior scientists in the field of organic chemistry from both China and abroad, publishers of renowned international academic journals, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry to share innovative research in drug development.

During the Academic Week, domestic and international scholars in organic chemistry delivered keynote speeches on hot research topics including “total synthesis of natural products,” “C–H bond functionalization,” “palladium/norbornene cooperative catalysis,” “synthesis of complex organic amines,” and “radical-involved chemical synthesis.” Dr. Michael H. Kress, Senior Vice President at MSD, shared insights from the pharmaceutical industry perspective on the frontier directions of process development in the pharmaceutical sector. He also highlighted recent advances by MSD’s Chemical Process Department in applying directed enzyme evolution and enzymatic catalysis technologies to support the manufacturing processes of small-molecule drugs. This work exemplifies the close integration of pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing with fundamental science and innovation.

JointAccording to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), women currently account for less than 30% of researchers worldwide. The gender gap is even more pronounced among high-level scientific talent. This Academic Week featured the inaugural Women in Chemistry Seminar, aimed at supporting the advancement of women in the chemical sciences and promoting diversity and inclusion within the scientific community. Several senior female scientists from academia and the pharmaceutical industry shared their research findings and special topic reports. The event also invited numerous female scientists to participate in interactive discussions, offering perspectives on work-life balance, career development opportunities, and personal growth. Participants exchanged views on addressing gender imbalance in chemical research, exploring ways to better support and encourage female chemists to realize their potential and enhance their participation in scientific innovation. Distinguished panelists included Professor Jennifer M. Schomaker from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Professor Li-Zhu Wu from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Jin Qu from Nankai University, and Dr. [Name] from MSD.Caroline McGregor, Ms. Marguerite Mohan, Dr. Jing XuProfessor Zhang Yan, Professor Zhu Yan, and Professor Lu Yi from Nanjing University; Professor Wang Jun from Southern University of Science and Technology; Professor Zhang Li from Sun Yat-sen University; and Ms. Zhu Yuhong, Marketing Director for Greater China at Elsevier, among others.

Professor Wu Lizhu from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, spoke highly of the series of events during this Academic Week and the Women in Chemistry Forum segment. She stated, “This year marks a significant milestone as the Reaxys PhD Prize welcomes its first female winner in over a decade of its establishment. The Chem-Reaxys Academic Week is therefore timely, important, and meaningful. By engaging in direct dialogue with more senior female researchers, young female scholars can effectively alleviate the gender-related pressures they face in their scientific careers and receive better guidance for their professional development. I believe these activities will encourage more female scholars to pursue scientific research as a lifelong career, which will benefit the future development of China’s scientific community.”

Elsevier’s Reaxys solution offers a professionally curated chemical database, enabling researchers to efficiently retrieve chemical literature, patent information, validated compound properties, and experimental procedures, thereby addressing chemical research challenges with greater efficiency. Its journal, Chem, is dedicated to promoting creative breakthroughs in chemistry and its interdisciplinary fields, publishing applied and fundamental research papers aimed at tackling global challenges, and has garnered high acclaim and broad attention within the academic community. Leveraging their respective strengths, Reaxys and Chem create favorable conditions for chemical researchers, accelerate the translation of scientific innovations into practical outcomes, and foster collaborative progress among industry, academia, and research institutions. Professor Wu Lizhu praised this synergy, stating, “Reaxys is a powerful tool for the vast majority of scientific researchers in China, while Chem is increasingly becoming an excellent platform for showcasing top-tier work from China and around the world. The activities organized through their strong partnership will undoubtedly have a profound, positive, and beneficial impact on the advancement of academic research in China.”

This year marks the second edition of the Academic Week. Over the past two years, the Chem-Reaxys Academic Week platform has grown increasingly rich in both content and significance. Mr. Lin Guoqing, President of Elsevier Greater China, stated, “Through this event, we aim to create an academic exchange platform for organic chemistry researchers in China and abroad. By leveraging the high-quality academic journal *Chem* and the efficient research tool Reaxys, we strive to provide comprehensive services for literature reading, citation, publication, and dissemination, as well as end-to-end support for project investigation, experimental implementation, and achievement transformation. We are committed to serving as a bridge linking universities and research institutions with enterprises in industry-academia-research collaboration, thereby advancing chemical research and supporting innovation in pharmaceutical R&D.”