Editorial [Hot Topic: Combinatorial Chemistry in the Agrosciences (Guest Editors: Jurgen Scherkenbeck / Stephen D. Lindell)]

Since the appearance of the first reports during the early nineties on non-peptidal small molecule libraries synthesized on solid phase supports, the fields of combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screening have experienced enormous progress and development. These techniques have become an essential part of the modern discovery process within the pharmaceutical industry and many pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, are currently making major investments in the area. This progress did not come without setbacks and the biological screening results obtained from early combinatorial libraries were often so disappointing that many companies went though a period during which they seriously doubted whether it would be possible to utilise these new techniques within industry. However, even these bad results had value in that they showed what not to do and today the pharmaceutical industry seems to have learned how to more successfully apply these powerful new tools to the drug discovery process. The current situation and progress within the agrochemical industry with regards combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screening is not easy to determine. This is at least partly because comparatively little has been published in the area to date and what has been published is rather widely scattered throughout the chemical literature. Progress in the area was reviewed at the 2nd Pan-Pacific Conference on Pesticide Science held in October 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii [1] but since that time no really comprehensive review has been published. This special issue of Combinatorial Chemistry and High Throughput Screening brings together a series of five review articles whose purpose is to provide an up to date overview of the current state of the art as relevant and applicable to the agrosciences. In addition, seven research papers are being published describing recent applications of high throughput synthesis within the agrochemical discovery process. It is hoped that the publication of these collected works in a single issue will help facilitate informed debate about how best to direct the vital research resources needed to ensure the long term success of the agrochemical industry. [1] Baker, D. R.; Umetsu, N. K.; Eds., ACS Symposium Series 774, "Agrochemical Discovery", American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2001. For a more recent review article see, Smith, S. Pesticide Outlook, 2003, February, 21-25.