Medicinal chemistry as we start the next millennium

These are exciting times. We are in the midst of a revolution in the biological and chemical sciences that is being facilitated by computers and recombinant DNA technology. In this presentation, I hope to provide you with my perspective on the state of medicinal chemistry and how it is being affected by this revolution. Due to the global scope of this lecture, I will paint, with broad brush strokes, a picture of what I perceive to be trends that will impact on the future of medicinal chemistry as we start the next millennium. In this context, I will touch on changes that have occurred with respect to training, faculty and academic research, funding, scientific publishing, technology, and the pharmaceutical industry. For those who would like specific information which provides a more detailed account of the scientific advances that are expected to lead medicinal chemistry into the next millennium, I refer you to the 1992 IUPAC monograph, "Medicinal Chemistry for the 21st Century.". While my perspective reflects the changes that have taken place in the States and may differ somewhat from trends in Europe and Asia, I believe that in view of the increasingly global economy, the trajectories of these changes in medicinal chemistry will merge in the not-too-distant future, if they haven't already.