It is our great pleasure to introduce the Proceedings of the Twenty-First European Peptide Symposium, held in Platja d' Aro, Spain, September 2-8, 1990. Over seven hundred scientists from nearly thirty countries, mostly European but also from the Americas, Australia and Japan, assembled at the largest-to-date in a series of European Peptide Symposia to present and discuss their recent findings in the field of peptides. Whenever scientists meet, a good deal of their interaction cannot be appropri ately recorded in book form. Fruitful early morning dialogues go regrettably unrecorded or, at most, precariously scribbled on ephemeral breakfast napkins. Many a brilliant late night debate is bound to fade away through the mists of a noisy discotheque. Alas, this book will unfortunately ignore these potentially splendid contributions to science! No effort has been made either to register the discussions that followed the oral presentations of the Symposium, or the two open sessions on special topics of general interest. Spontaneity, the main appeal of oral discussion, is somewhat lost, we believe, on literal transcription. Once all these non-recordable forms of scientific communication are discounted one is left with the core of the Symposium, i.e., its scientific communications, both in oral and poster form, and it is to these that the book you have in your hands is devoted.

A new perspective on the design of molecular therapeutics is emerging. This new strategy emphasizes the rational complementation of functionality along extended patches of a protein surface with the aim of inhibiting protein/protein interactions. The successful development of compounds able to inhibit these interactions offers a unique chance to selectively intervene in a large number of key cellular processes related to human disease.

"Protein Surface Recognition" presents a detailed treatment of this strategy, with topics including: an extended survey of protein-protein interactions that are key players in human disease and biology and the potential for therapeutics derived from this new perspectivethe fundamental physical issues that surround protein-protein interactions that must be considered when designing ligands for protein surfacesexamples of protein surface-small molecule interactions, including treatments of protein-natural product interactions, protein-interface peptides, and rational approaches to protein surface recognition from model to biological systemsa survey of techniques that will be integral to the discovery of new small molecule protein surface binders, from high throughput synthesis and screening techniques to "in silico" and "in vitro" methods for the discovery of novel protein ligands.

"Protein Surface Recognition" provides an intellectual "tool-kit" for investigators in medicinal and bioorganic chemistry looking to exploit this emerging paradigm in drug discovery.