Project description
Scalable platform to advance PROTAC drug discovery
Proteolysis-targeting chimaeras (PROTACs) are a new class of therapeutics that target disease-causing proteins by using E3 ligases for degradation. Current designs are limited to two E3 ligases, leading to inefficient development. An ERC Starting Grant project has developed a high-throughput screening system to identify optimal E3 ligases for PROTACs, improving drug design. These innovations create a scalable platform for PROTAC development. The ERC-funded DEGRON project aims to transform PROTAC drug discovery by commercialising innovations from the earlier ERC Starting Grant project. It will establish a spin-off company that combines E3 ligase discovery, PROTAC validation, and drug development, setting a new standard in targeted protein degradation medicine. The project will focus on therapeutics for pancreatic cancer, moving preclinical candidates towards clinical application.
Objective
PROTACs (Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras) are a groundbreaking class of novel therapeutics capable of targeting disease-causing proteins previously thought to be undruggable. They work by recruiting E3 ligases to ubiquitinate target proteins, leading to their degradation. However, despite their promise, current PROTAC design is severely limited, relying on only two out of 613 E3 ligases. In addition, PROTAC development remains slow, inefficient and heavily reliant on trial-and-error approaches.
The DEGRON project aims to revolutionize PROTAC drug discovery by commercializing key innovations originally developed in our ERC Starting Grant. First, we developed a patented high-throughput screening system to systematically identify the optimal E3 ligase for any given PROTAC target, enabling rational drug design. Second, we established real-time in vivo systems that enable target validation and precise measurement of PROTAC activity, replacing inefficient endpoint assays and reducing animal use and costs by over 70%. These innovations lay the foundation for a scalable drug discovery platform that transforms PROTAC development into a systematic and predictive process.
Our commercialization strategy is two-pronged:
1. Provision of DEGRON services: We plan to establish a company offering PROTAC screening and validation assays to both academic and industrial customers. Over time, our goal is to offer the full PROTAC development pipeline as a one-stop-shop.
2. Development of proprietary PROTACs: We are currently advancing our own PROTAC pipeline under an ERC Consolidator Grant, focusing on therapeutics for pancreatic cancer. These preclinical candidates will be integrated and further developed within DEGRON and progressed towards clinical application.
This ERC-PoC study will facilitate the establishment of a spin-off company that integrates E3 ligase discovery, PROTAC validation and drug development to set a new standard in targeted protein degradation-based medicine.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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24118 Kiel
Germany
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