[sdpd] SDPD stagnation

[Armel Le Bail <armel...@fluo.univ-lemans.fr>]

Recent update of the SDPD-Database shows that 1999
will be an average productive year. Looking at the
number of SDPDs listed shows that we are at a plateau
of 50-60 structure determination since 5 years :

             1999  56
             1998  61
             1997  55
             1996  49
             1995  59
             1994  46
             1993  28
             1992  34
             1991  16
             1990   9
             1989  10
             1988  14
             1987   4
             1986   4
             1985   3

       http://www.cristal.org/iniref.html

Considering the number of new methods, review papers, etc
which continue to appear, this is a bit surprising. The contrast
is evident if one looks at the production increase in the 90-95
or 85-90 periods.

Opinions ? Are we at a stage where pharmaceutical companies
are doing SDPDs but are not publishing them, or something
like that ? How to justify the large quantities of money invested
by those pharmaceutical companies in SDPD software if nothing
is produced ? Or is it too soon to see the changes induced in
SDPD production by the new methods of molecule location ?
Can we expect to attain 100 published SDPDs per year in 2005 ?

Best,


Armel Le Bail - Universite du Maine, Laboratoire des Fluorures,
CNRS ESA 6010, Av. O. Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans Cedex 9, France
http://www.cristal.org/