The American Peptide Society, a nonprofit scientific and educational organization founded in 1990, provides a forum for advancing and promoting knowledge of the chemistry and biology of peptides. The approximately one thousand members of the Society come from North America and from more than thirty other countries throughout the world. Establishment of the American Peptide Society was a result of the rapid worldwide growth that has occurred in peptide-related research, and of the increasing interaction of peptide scientists with virtually all fields of science.

Peptides are chains of amino acid residues with remarkable biological functions, ranging from hormonal regulation to antibiotic activities. Members of the American Peptide Society are involved in research in academia, industry, and government, covering all aspects of peptide chemistry, biology, and pharmaceutical science. Research topics include synthesis of biologically important targets, isolation and characterization of new products, structure-activity relationship studies, molecular diversity, de novo design, drug delivery, and the discovery of new pharmaceutical agents.

A major function of the Society is the biennial American Peptide Symposium. The Society also sponsors the Journal of Peptide Research and Biopolymers (Peptide Science), recommends awards to outstanding peptide scientists, works to foster the professional development of its student members, interacts and coordinates activities with other national and international scientific societies, sponsors travel awards to the American Peptide Symposium, and maintains a web site at www1.chem.umn.edu/orgs/ampepsoc.

The American Peptide Society is administered by Officers and Councilors who are nominated and elected by members of the Society. The officers are Robert S. Hodges, President (University of Alberta); Tomi K. Sawyer, President-Elect (ARIAD Pharmaceuticals); Richard A. Houghten, Secretary (Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies); and Teresa M. Kubiak, Treasurer (Pharmacia & Upjohn Company). The councilors are George Barany (University of Minnesota); Charles M. Deber (University of Toronto); Gregg B. Fields (Florida Atlantic University); Lila M. Gierasch (University of Massachusetts); Murray Goodman (University of California-San Diego); Victor J. Hruby (University of Arizona); Barbara Imperiali (California Institute of Technology); Thomas J. Lobl (Coulter Pharmaceutical); Ruth Nutt (Santa Fe, New Mexico); Daniel H. Rich (University of Wisconsin-Madison); and Peter W. Schiller (Clinical Research Institute of Montreal).

Membership in the American Peptide Society is open to scientists throughout the world who are engaged or interested in the chemistry or biology of peptides and small proteins. Categories of membership include Active Member, Associate Member, Student Member, Emeritus Member and Honorary Member. For application forms or further information on the American Peptide Society, please visit the Society web site at www1.chem.umn.edu/orgs/ampepsoc or contact Ms. Susan Henry, 713 Heritage Medical Research Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2S2, Canada; phone 780-492-6540, fax 780-492-1473, e-mail susan.henry@ualberta.ca.