Editorial: Chemoinformatics in Japan
Kimito Funatsu · Molecular Informatics · 2014
Chemoinformatics contributes indispensable methods to chemical research. In 2009, aiming to establish a more powerful basis of Chemoinformatics in Japan, I organized the first Autumn School on Chemoinformatics at The University of Tokyo. Already at this time, five years ago, more than 100 active researchers from both academia and industry gathered for this event, which clearly demonstrated a flourishing chemoinformatics community in Japan. The important aspects of this Autumn School are its broad scientific scope, teaching to students, and formation of relationships between academia and industry. After this first school, I have continuously organized the Autumn School on Chemoinformatics at The University of Tokyo in 2011, and at Nara in 2013,1 to discuss the basis and the perspective of chemoinformatics with respect to both methods and applications. Professors Jürgen Bajorath, Johann Gasteiger, Gisbert Schneider, Kurt Varmuza, Alexandre Varnek and Japanese researchers are regular lecturers for research and education in this Autumn School. The fourth Autumn School on Chemoinformatics will be held at The University of Tokyo in 2015. Our Autumn School is tightly aligned with The Strasbourg Summer School,2 which sets an example for understanding the promising potential of chemoinformatics and for encouraging established scientists and novices alike.1 Molecular Informatics, an international journal published by Wiley-VCH (Weinheim, Germany), is one of the primary journals publishing research studies in chemoinformatics. I sincerely thank Wiley-VCH and Prof. Gisbert Schneider for dedicating a special issue to the Chemoinformatics Society of Japan. Principal Japanese chemoinformaticians contributed to this special issue. You will read different topics from the viewpoint of world-leading experts from Japan, for example de novo design in chemical space, analysis of relationship between 3D-chemical structures of metabolites and biological activities, new chemometrics methods for drug design, and about connecting classical QSAR and LERE analyses using molecular calculations. Please enjoy this special issue and see you at next Autumn School in Tokyo in 2015!