From Serendipity to Rational Design, Redefining the Rules of Molecular Glue Discovery

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a hot area of drug discovery aiming to expand the universe of druggable targets with improved efficacy, potency, and selectivity. Current conventional antibody and small molecule drugs, which block a protein’s activity, can only access about 20% of the body’s proteins. Protein degraders’ unique MOA eliminates the protein entirely by routing it to the cell’s ’trash compactor,” the proteasome. This drug class is broadly classified into molecular glue degraders or PROTACs and has potential applications in oncology, inflammatory and autoimmune disease, and neurogenerative disease, among other areas. The TPD space is exploding with development—dozens of new biotechs are in the mix, VCs are keen to invest, and big pharma is locking up development partnerships. This panel session will explore current innovations and what’s next in targeted protein degradation.