As we are ever more accutely aware of the dangers of MRSA and superbugs, it is becoming widely accepted that new drugs are needed which act upon new bacterial targets. However, the cost to pharma of developing a new antibiotic - which could be rendered useless before the investment in its discovery has been recouped - has meant that many companies have no new drugs in the pipeline and more worryingly, have no active research in the area.

This timely meeting will focus on the challenges of discovering new antibiotics. Chemists, researchers, medics, clinical scientists and pharmaceutical scientists are encouraged to attend.

Speakers will include Christopher Walsh (Harvard), Steven J Projan (Wyeth Research), Nick Brown (Addenbrooks Hospital), Hajo Grundmann (EARSS), Christopher Dye (WHO), Jun Wang (Merck) and Peter Leadlay FRS (University of Cambridge).