Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 3rd Annual

Next-Gen Degraders: Glues & Conjugates

Design, Optimisation & Development of Proximity-induced Therapies

11 - 12 November 2026 ALL TIMES CET+1

There is a wave of innovations driving the design and development of new degrader modalities to get the desired therapeutic outcomes. Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s conference on Next-Gen Degraders: Glues & Conjugates continues to track the progress in designing new proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and molecular glues, while shedding light on novel modalities like degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs) seeking out challenging drug targets. It brings together chemists, biologists, computational and PKPD experts to discuss how new chemistries can be utilised, cellular pathways exploited, screening tools and assays leveraged, and predictive models tapped into, for achieving targeted protein degradation. Through focused talks, case studies, and interactive panels, pharma R&D leaders, biotech founders, academic innovators, and investors will gain insight into design challenges and translational bottlenecks.

Preliminary Agenda

TOOLS FOR SCREENING & IDENTIFICATION

TRIM21 E3 Ligase as a Platform for PROTACs and Molecular Glues

Photo of Markus Queisser, PhD, Scientific Director, Protein Degradation, GSK , Scientific Director , Protein Degradation , GSK — Markus Queisser, PhD, Scientific Director, Protein Degradation, GSK , Scientific Director , Protein Degradation , GSK

Stereoselective Degradation of Lipid Kinases

Photo of Ken Hsu, PhD, Stephen F. and Fay Evans Martin Endowed Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin , Associate Professor, Stephen F. and Fay Evans Martin Endowed Professorship, CPRIT Scholar , Chemistry , University of Texas — Ken Hsu, PhD, Stephen F. and Fay Evans Martin Endowed Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin , Associate Professor, Stephen F. and Fay Evans Martin Endowed Professorship, CPRIT Scholar , Chemistry , University of Texas

Stereoselective covalent ligands offer a powerful approach to define on-target activity in complex biological systems. We developed sulfonyl-triazole inhibitors of diacylglycerol kinases that induce paralog-selective membrane recruitment and suppress lipid signaling. Quantitative chemoproteomics identified key sites of modification, linking target engagement to proteasome-dependent degradation and enhanced T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against cancer cells. These findings position covalent targeting of lipid kinases as a promising strategy for immunotherapy.

STRATEGIES FOR DESIGN & OPTIMISATION

PROTACs in Respiratory Disease: Opportunities for Inhaled Delivery

Photo of Lena Ripa, PhD, Director, Medicinal Chemistry, AstraZeneca , Director , Medicinal Chemistry , AstraZeneca — Lena Ripa, PhD, Director, Medicinal Chemistry, AstraZeneca , Director , Medicinal Chemistry , AstraZeneca

Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) require careful optimisation of properties such as molecular weight, polarity, lipophilicity, and flexibility to achieve oral bioavailability, aligning broadly with established bRo5 guidelines. While design principles for oral PROTACs are increasingly well understood, far less is known about requirements for inhaled delivery. This work highlights key parameters influencing pulmonary administration and presents two projects (HDAC6 and BET) aimed at developing inhaled PROTACs for respiratory diseases.

Cracking the CNS Barrier for PROTACs: Lessons from Literature and Emerging Design Principles

Photo of Giulia Caron, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Biotechnology & Health Sciences, University of Turin , Associate Professor , Molecular Biotechnology & Health Sciences , University of Turin — Giulia Caron, PhD, Associate Professor, Molecular Biotechnology & Health Sciences, University of Turin , Associate Professor , Molecular Biotechnology & Health Sciences , University of Turin

Despite growing interest in PROTACs for neurodegenerative diseases, strategies to achieve BBB penetration and CNS activity remain unclear. We curated published PROTACs with demonstrated brain exposure and degradation, revealing key gaps: poor translation from rodent models, reliance on non-brain cell lines, and limited use of robust BBB assays. Current evidence suggests BBB-permeable PROTACs are not yet an established modality. We discuss emerging design trade-offs required to balance degradation efficiency with brain exposure, and present recent results from our laboratory that inform more realistic paths toward CNS-active PROTACs.

DEVELOPING PROXIMITY-DRIVEN THERAPIES

Discovery of a Covalent Molecular Glue of Rac1 and its Exchange Factor Kalirin

Photo of Paul Brennan, PhD, Professor, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford , Professor , Nuffield Department of Medicine , University of Oxford — Paul Brennan, PhD, Professor, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford , Professor , Nuffield Department of Medicine , University of Oxford

The Rho family of small GTPases are crucial in multiple diseases, yet altering their function presents challenges due to their strong affinity for nucleotides and limited options for allosteric regulation. The GTPase Rac1 acts as switch controlling cellular cytoskeletal activities and is implicated in numerous diseases. The RhoGEF Kalirin is a complex protein essential for synaptic and neuronal shape regulation in the brain and disturbances in Kalirin function have been connected to several neurological conditions, including Alzheimerâ€™s, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. We have developed covalent molecular glue fragments of Rac1/Kalirin which show selective inhibition for specific Rho GTPase/RhoGEF protein pairs.

Rewiring Transcription via Induced Proximity

Photo of Asad Taherbhoy, PhD, Senior Director, Discovery, Foghorn Therapeutics , Senior Director, Discovery , Drug Discovery , Foghorn Therapeutics — Asad Taherbhoy, PhD, Senior Director, Discovery, Foghorn Therapeutics , Senior Director, Discovery , Drug Discovery , Foghorn Therapeutics

FEATURED PRESENTATION: Targeting Post-Translational Modifications through Induced Proximity and Chemical Biology

Photo of Edward Tate, PhD, Professor, Chemical Biology, Imperial College London , Professor , Chemical Biology , Imperial College London — Edward Tate, PhD, Professor, Chemical Biology, Imperial College London , Professor , Chemical Biology , Imperial College London

Our lab works on targeting post-translational modification, from small moleculeÂ drug discovery to antibody-degrader conjugates. Here I will introduce our work discovering an exceptionally potent ADC payload with an unprecedented mode of action targeting protein lipidation, and new approaches to unlock proximity-driven pharmacologyÂ through rational discovery, opening new opportunities for future PIP-based drug discovery.

Induced-Proximity Approaches for Targeted Protein Degradation and Dephosphorylation

Photo of Gopal Sapkota, PhD, Programme Leader, MRC Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, Sir James Black Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee , Professor , University of Dundee — Gopal Sapkota, PhD, Programme Leader, MRC Protein Phosphorylation & Ubiquitylation Unit, Sir James Black Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee , Professor , University of Dundee

Protein function and fate are governed by post-translational modifications (PTMs), most of which are catalysed by enzymes. Aberrant PTMs are hallmark of many human diseases. Artificially inducing spatial proximity between a protein-modifying enzyme and a target protein in cells can enable precise rewriting on the PTM code, potentially offeringÂ a powerful way to rewire cell signalling.Â In this talk, I will cover targeted degradation and dephosphorylation of several disease-causing proteins.

PURSUING CHALLENGING TARGETS

Targeting Transcription Factors for Degradation

Photo of RadosÅ‚aw Nowak, PhD, Professor of Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery, University of Bonn , Professor , Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery , University Clinic Bonn — RadosÅ‚aw Nowak, PhD, Professor of Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery, University of Bonn , Professor , Immune Engineering and Drug Discovery , University Clinic Bonn

Unlocking the Prospective Design of Non-Degrading Macrocyclic Glues with AI

Photo of Christopher Tame, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, Ternary Therapeutics , Co-Founder and CEO , Ternary Therapeutics — Christopher Tame, PhD, Co-Founder & CEO, Ternary Therapeutics , Co-Founder and CEO , Ternary Therapeutics

Rapafusyn Pharmaceuticals and Ternary Therapeutics will present the results of a collaboration for the AI-enabled design of non-degrading molecular glues for difficult-to-drug therapeutic targets. By combining Rapafusyn's rationally designed large DEL libraries with Ternary Therapeutics' Frontier AI models, we prospectively identified optimised molecular glues and design principles for the FKBP12-TRAF2 protein-protein interaction.

Leveraging the Clustering Activation Mechanism of TRIM21 to Degrade Pathological Protein Aggregates

Photo of Dean Clift, PhD, Head, Exploratory Biology, TRIMTECH Therapeutics , Head of Exploratory Biology , Exploratory Biology , TRIMTECH Therapeutics — Dean Clift, PhD, Head, Exploratory Biology, TRIMTECH Therapeutics , Head of Exploratory Biology , Exploratory Biology , TRIMTECH Therapeutics

Targeted degradation of age-related protein aggregates within cells is an exciting therapeutic approach.Â For the most common dementia, Alzheimerâ€™s disease, the removal of tau aggregates is predicted to reverse cognitive decline. Â At TRIMTECH Therapeutics, we harness the innate properties of the ubiquitous E3 ligase TRIM21 to degrade disease-causing aggregates. Selective degradation of aggregated forms of proteins is achieved via a unique clustering activation mechanism (ligase-to-ligase proximity) that leaves the monomeric isoform of the target protein unaffected, demonstrating the potential of this next-generation TPD approach for the development of targeted therapies in proteinopathies.

For more details on the conference, please contact:

Tanuja Koppal, PhD

Senior Conference Director

Cambridge Healthtech Institute

Email: tkoppal@healthtech.com

For sponsorship information, please contact:

Kristin Skahan

Senior Business Development Manager

Cambridge Healthtech Institute

Phone: (+1) 781-972-5431

Email: kskahan@healthtech.com