Presentation Topic: Clinical Proof‑of‑Concept of Setidegrasib (ASP3082)

• Astellas’ strategy to strengthen its R&D pipeline and deliver meaningful value to patients

• Clinical proof‑of‑concept of Setidegrasib in advanced non‑small‑cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer

• Beyond Setidegrasib: defining the next steps for targeted protein degradation

Short Biography:

Itsuro Nagase is Head of Primary Focus Lead, Targeted Protein Degradation at Astellas Pharma. He leads the strategy and portfolio development of protein degradation platforms, spanning discovery through clinical proof‑of‑concept. His work focuses on leveraging platform technologies to drive portfolio‑level decision making and to maximize the value of platforms and individual assets.
Itsuro graduated from Hokkaido University and earned a PhD in Veterinary Medicine. He has spent over 30 years at Astellas Pharma, gaining broad experience across research, clinical development, project leader and corporate strategy throughout his career.

Presentation Topic: State of the art computational modelling allows today for efficient ligase and molecular glue screening

• AI Protein Language and biophysical modelling speak ligase dialect, and can rationally, efficiently and quickly find multiple ligases interacting with a given target

• Binary complexes, from structural modelling open the door to rationally design/screen molecular glues

• Novel AI methods allow for such screening techniques even with disordered proteins as targets

Short Biography:

An ICREA Professor at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Dr. Guallar completed his PhD in theoretical chemistry between University Autonomous of Barcelona and UC Berkeley. After three years as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University, he was appointed assistant professor at Washington University School of Medicine, before moving his group to BSC in 2006. His laboratory has grown considerably since developing important contributions in computational biophysics, such as the protein-ligand modeling software PELE, and biochemistry, including computational algorithms for enzyme engineering and the introduction of the first PluriZyme (enzyme with multiple actives sites).

Prof. Guallar has been awarded several important research projects, including the award of a prestigious advanced ERC grant. His lab has produced over 200 papers in international journals and completed 25 PhD thesis.

Prof. Guallar is co-founder of BSC’s first spin off, Nostrum Biodiscovery, a biotech enterprise created in 2016 which aims to collaborate with companies for the development of drugs and molecules of biotechnological interest.

Presentation Topic: Molecular Glue-Mediated Co-Degradation of Mutant KRAS and cRAF for Cancer Therapy

• HB targeted protein degradation platform enables discovery of molecular glue degraders targeting oncogenic proteins

• Molecular glue degraders drive co-degradation of mutant KRAS and cRAF via recruitment of a novel endogenous E3 ligase

• KRASmt/cRAF co-degraders suppress colon and pancreatic tumor xenograft growth

Short Biography:

Dr. Hao is a physician scientist with over 25 years of experience in pathology and laboratory research. He earned his MD and MSc in Pathology, as well as a PhD in Anatomy and Cellular Biology. He completed residency training in neuropathology and is a board-certified neuropathologist and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC). Dr. Hao began his academic career at the University of Alberta in Canada and later joined Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In January 2018, he was appointed Bicentennial Chair and Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he also serves as a practicing neuropathologist at Indiana University Health. His research focuses on protein ubiquitination and targeted protein degradation and has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Hao co-founded HB Therapeutics, Inc. with Dr. Bellail, a biotechnology company dedicated to translating advances in ubiquitin biology into novel cancer therapies. The company has developed a targeted protein degradation platform for the discovery of molecular glue degraders that harness endogenous E3 ligases to selectively eliminate oncogenic proteins. Its lead programs focus on molecular glue co-degraders targeting mutant KRAS and cRAF, being developed as first-in-class therapies for colorectal, pancreatic, and lung cancers.

Presentation Topic: From Serendipity to AI-Driven Design: Accelerating the Discovery of Molecular Glue Degraders

• Introduction: The Discovery of Molecular Glues

• Breakthroughs in IMiD-Based Molecular Glues

• Evolution from Rational Design to AI-Powered Discovery

• AI-Driven Approaches in Molecular Glue Design

• GluBio’s Integrated Degrader Discovery GDD® Platform

• Conclusion and Future Directions

Short Biography:

Liqiang (Leo) Fu has an extensive work experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Leo is currently working as the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at GluBio Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd., a position he has held since March 2021. From 2016 to 2021, Leo worked at Johnson & Johnson (Shanghai) Research & Development Center, where he held the position of Principal Scientist and Chemistry Head of Janssen (China) Protein Degradation Drug Discovery. Leo's career began at AbbVie in January 2014, where he worked as a group leader and Senior Scientist of Medicinal Chemistry. He has a track record of inventing or co-inventing several drug candidates that have advanced to clinical trials. Leo has authored or co-authored >20 publications and is an inventor on >20 patents and patent applications. Leo Fu holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences and had his postdoctoral training with Prof. Blake R. Peterson at University of Kansas.

Presentation Topic: Beyond Oncology – TPD in Neurodegenerative Diseases using the Autophagy-Lysosome System via the AUTOphagy-TArgeting Chimera (AUTOTAC) platform

• Early proof-of-concept/design and pre-clinical/clinical development of a first-in-class tau aggregate degrader using the bimodal AUTOTAC platform

• Safety/tolerability and pharmacokinetic properties in humans (phase 1 clinical trial with healthy adults)

• Efficacy in higher-order mammalian models (phase 2 clinical field trial with demented canines)

Short Biography:

I am a molecular and cellular biologist by training, working at the Cellular Degradation Biology Center in Seoul National University as a Research Associate Professor on the basic/translational science on autophagic Arg/N-degron pathway. Simultaneously, I am concurrently serving as the Executive Director of the R&D Institute at AutotacBio, Inc. for the drug development of heterobifunctional chimeric targeted protein degraders. My personal goal is to cover the entire width of the 'basic science - translational science - clinical development' spectrum for a comprehensive understanding and advancement of human health.

Presentation Topic: Recent Clinical Advances and Future Trends in PROTACs

PROTACs (proteolysis-targeting chimeras) have emerged as a transformative therapeutic modality, with significant recent advances achieved in the clinical field. This presentation will provide a systematic overview of the evolution of PROTAC technology and the current clinical development landscape, with a focus on key clinical data from representative pipelines, including efficacy, safety, and PK/PD profiles. Practical insights into clinical development strategies for investigational PROTAC candidates will also be shared. Furthermore, the talk will delve into the major clinical challenges encountered during development, covering critical aspects such as target selection, trial design, dose optimization, and toxicity management. Looking ahead, the discussion will extend to future trends shaping the clinical development of PROTACs, including next-generation degradation technologies, expansion into new therapeutic areas, combination therapy strategies, and the evolving competitive landscape. This presentation aims to provide systemic clinical insights and practical guidance for professionals engaged in the discovery and clinical development of targeted protein degraders.

Short Biography:

Dr. Yong Guo is currently CMO/SVP at Polymed Biopharma, where he leads clinical development. He brings over 20 years of experience across the full spectrum of drug development, including molecular immunology research, target discovery, preclinical development, translational medicine, and end-to-end clinical development with expertise in clinical trial design, biostatistics, pharmacovigilance (PV), and Sino-US IND filings.

Early in his career, he served as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor at New York University Medical Center, conducting tumor molecular immunology research. He successfully cloned and published the CD86 (B7-2) gene and authored over 30 papers in top-tier journals such as Nature and JEM. In the pharmaceutical industry, he worked as a scientist at Sanofi in the U.S., engaging in R&D drug discovery. After returning to China, he served as Medical Director at Hengrui Medicine and Hansoh Pharmaceutical, leading the Phase I–III development of Flumatinib for CML, which received NMPA approval, and directing multiple studies of PD-1 in combination with Apatinib for advanced gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. He later served as SVP and Head of Clinical Development at Kangpu Biopharmaceuticals and Angel Pharma, leading clinical programs for molecular glues (mCRPC) and ITK inhibitors. Most recently at Polymed, he has led two Phase I clinical programs: HPB-092 (a small molecule dual FLT3/IRAK4 inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia, AML) and HPB-143 (an IRAK4-PROTAC degrader for atopic dermatitis, AD), both of which have received clinical trial approvals in China and the U.S. Dr. Guo received his MD from Nanjing Medical University and completed postdoctoral training at New York University Medical Center.

Presentation Topic: Characterization of PROTAC specificity and endogenous protein interactomes using ProtacID

• We developed ProtacID, a flexible BioID (proximity-dependent biotinylation)-based approach
to identify PROTAC-proximal proteins in living cells.

• ProtacID analysis of VHL- and CRBN- recruiting PROTACs targeting a number of different proteins (localized to chromatin or cellular membranes) demonstrates how this technique can be used to validate PROTAC degradation targets and identify non-productive (i.e. nondegraded) PROTAC-interacting proteins, addressing a critical need in the field of PROTAC development.

• We also demonstrate that ProtacID can be used to characterize native, endogenous multiprotein complexes without the use of antibodies, or modification of the protein of interest with epitope tags or biotin ligase tagging.

Short Biography:

Dr. Suman Shrestha is a protein scientist specializing in protein-protein interactions within targeted protein degradation and small molecule drug discovery. He is currently working as postdoctoral researcher at University of Toronto in Canada. Previously, he was a postdoc at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC), Toronto, Canada. During his postdoc at PMCC, he led innovative projects including the development of ProtacID, a novel method to identify protein interactors of endogenous targets using PROTACs. He also contributed to recruiting FBXO22 to induce degradation of the histone methyltransferase and oncogene NSD2. Dr. Shrestha holds a PhD in Quantitative Biology from the University of Texas at Arlington and has published several papers advancing protein science.

Presentation Topic: AI-Driven PROTAC Design: From Virtual Screening to In Vivo Validation

LexBio employs the synergistic advantages of domain expertise and modern technology to accelerate early-stage drug discovery. Our deep learning (DL) centric AI platform integrates state-of-the-art machine learning solutions, high-end computing environment, and the user-friendly API to provide a digital laboratory for one-stop experimentation of predictive modeling and molecular generation. With such empowerment our discovery pipeline has grown to consist of projects in oncology, inflammation, and immunology. Two leading assets are advancing through IND-enabling studies, demonstrating superior in vitro and in vivo efficacies to the existing compounds, with the potential of becoming the first-line therapies for multiple solid tumors.

Short Biography:

Dr. Xing has nearly thirty years’ industrial experience in pharmaceutical research. Previously at WuXi AppTec in Boston, she built the AI drug discovery function from ground up. Prior to joining WuXi she was a principal investigator at Pfizer for more than fifteen years, where she co-invented multiple clinical candidates and supervised postdoctoral researchers. Dr. Xing has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and international patents, including thirty US granted patents. She received her Ph.D. in polymer science from University of Akron, and double bachelor’s degrees in solid state physics and computer technology from Tsinghua University.

Presentation Topic: First-in-Human Phase 1a Study of PIN-5018, a CK1α-selective MGD, in Advanced Solid Tumors

• CK1α regulates key survival pathways and is dysregulated in solid tumors, supporting its therapeutic potential.

• PIN-5018 induces CK1α degradation with antitumor activity in preclinical models.

• Currently evaluating safety, PK/PD, and preliminary efficacy in advanced solid tumor patients.

Short Biography:

Hyunsun Jo received his B.S and Ph.D. degrees in Biological Sciences from Seoul National University and performed post-doctoral research at Gladstone Institute at UCSF. He has spent the past 14 years as a biotech entrepreneur in the biotech industry, focusing on targeted protein degradation, where he has led new E3 ligase ligand discovery and conducted target validation across a wide range of proteins.

Presentation Topic: GlueTacs® Molecular Glue Platform: Advancing the Discovery of Protein Degraders in Treating Cancer and Immune Diseases

• Molecular Glue Mechanisms & Substrate Characteristics; History of Gluetacs's Diversified Molecular Glue Library and R&D Pipeline.

• Molecular Glue Structural Diversity Drives Novel Substrate/Target Discovery.

• New Therapeutic Opportunities: Discovery of novel targets brings unprecedented treatment opportunities for major diseases such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and other major diseases.

Short Biography:

杨小宝博士，标新生物创始人、董事长兼首席执行官，上海科技大学企业博士生导师。2004和2008年分别获西北大学和华东理工大学硕士和博士学位，后就职GSK上海研发中心和东岳药业，2013年起先后在美国北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校和西奈山伊坎医学院任博士后研究员，2016年加入上海科技大学。从博士后期间至今，10余年一直致力于蛋白降解小分子原创新药的研发。作为第一发明人申请该领域专利超百项，获授权32项；在Nature、Cell子刊等期刊发表该领域通讯作者论文21篇；作为项目骨干参与3项国家科技重大专项/国家重点研发计划、主持数项上海市科委及临港新片区科研项目；2021年全职创立标新生物后，成功推动2个分子胶降解剂1类新药进入临床II期，1个双功能降解剂1类新药申请中美临床试验。2022年入选东方英才计划领军项目，2024年获评临港新片区十大科技创新先锋人物。

Presentation Topic: HJ-004: An Efficacious, Selective and Orally Bioavailable pan EGFRm-PROTAC to Treat Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Short Biography:

Dr. Li ZENG joined Jing Medicine as Chief Executive Officer in November 2021, bringing with him a wealth of R&D and business operation experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a career spanning over 18 years. He has held drug R&D, portfolio and project management positions of increasing responsibilities in multinational companies such as Novartis and Eli Lilly as well as in traditional local pharma and biotech firms such as Luoxin Pharmaceutical, 4B Technologies and Harbour Biomed. 
Dr. Zeng received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Peking University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University. He conducted his postdoctoral research training in Chemical Biology at University of California, Berkeley.

Presentation Topic: Development and Exploration of Next-Generation Targeted Protein Degraders

• Development of next-generation PROTAC degraders for inflammatory diseases 

• Targeting previously “undruggable” proteins through induced protein degradation

• AI-assisted computational modeling to optimize PROTAC design and ternary complex cooperativity

Short Biography:

Amy Guan, Ph.D., is the CSO of Puhe Biopharma, a biotechnology company advancing therapies in oncology, immunology, and metabolic diseases through small molecules, targeted protein degraders, and AI-driven discovery.

She previously served as CTO at UProtech Therapeutics, leading targeted protein degradation programs. Dr. Guan has over 15 years of drug discovery leadership experience at Chinese companies, including Yangtze River Pharmaceuticals and WuXi AppTec, and earlier spent 12 years in medicinal chemistry leader roles at AstraZeneca and Pfizer in the United States.  She has advanced 10 drug candidates into clinical trials.

She received her Ph.D. from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry and completed postdoctoral research at the Michigan Cancer Foundation.

Presentation Topic: 炎症性肠炎蛋白质降解药研发

• 炎症性肠炎

• PROTAC

• 泛素化蛋白质降解

Short Biography:

金建平教授发现了人类第二个泛素 E1 酶 Uba6 (人类一共只有两个泛素E1酶) 和它的特异性E2酶Use1 (也叫UBE2Z)，一举打破了泛素化只有一个E1的理论概念；首先发现和命名了DCAF基因家族，并发现该基因家族蛋白是CRL4泛素连接酶的底物受体蛋白，近年来的研究重点是泛素信号通路在炎症及癌症发生发展中的作用、同时开展蛋白质降解药物的研发。金建平教授曾获2008年美国皮尤生物医学学者奖 (Pew Biomedical Scholar Award)，目前是浙江大学长聘教授及生命科学研究院资深研究员、博士生导师，同时担任中国病理生理学会蛋白质修饰与疾病专业委员会副主任委员。联合创办了优济普世医药科技(杭州)有限公司。

Presentation Topic: Development of Highly Selective Molecular Glue Degraders Based on Rigid CRBN Ligand Scaffolds

• Molecular glue degrader can drug unligandable targets (such as transcription factors), but the general off-target degradation issue significantly limits their clinical development.

• Through screening and further structural optimization of in-house CRBN ligand library with rigid scaffolds, potent and highly selective molecular glue degraders targeting C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor IKZF2 were developed, which provide a new approach to overcome resistance in current cancer immunotherapies.

• In addition, potent, highly selective, orally bioavailable and CNS-penetrant molecular glue degraders targeting another unligandable target with potentially high value were developed.

Short Biography:

Dr. Zhixiang Chen is a professor and principal investigator at the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry (IRCBC), Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC). He earned his PhD at Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), followed by postdoctoral research with Professor Shaomeng Wang at the University of Michigan. He was supported by the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas) and the Shanghai Overseas High-Level Talent Program. Dr. Chen primarily focuses on small molecule drug discovery and target validation based on targeted protein degradation (TPD) technologies, with related research work published as the first/co-first author in international renowned journals such as Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, J. Am. Chem. Soc., and J. Med. Chem. (5 papers). He has filed 16 international/US patents as the core inventor, with most licensed/acquired by US company for clinical development.

Presentation Topic: Programmable and Multiplex Targeted Protein Degradation: From Single Proteins to Dynamic Pathogenic Networks

• Nucleic acid-guided molecular recognition technology overcomes the limitations of traditional druggable targets, enabling precise, sequence-based targeted degradation of pathogenic protein complexes.

• Targeted protein degradation has expanded from the regulation of individual proteins to programmable, system-level therapies, establishing a higher genetic barrier to overcome viral mutation escape and drug resistance.

• An RNA-guided PROTAC platform constructed using conserved viral RNA elements enables the simultaneous degradation of influenza virus ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs), thereby blocking the viral replication process.

• The integration of programmable degraders with nanodelivery systems significantly enhances drug stability in vivo, lung-targeted accumulation, and overall therapeutic efficacy.

• The expansion of nucleic acid-targeted degradation technology to dynamic pathogenic networks provides programmable and scalable new strategies for antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and complex disease treatments.

Short Biography:

Dr. Shu-lin Liu a professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Chemistry, Nankai University, and a recipient of a national-level young scholar program in China. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Zhengzhou University, her doctorate from Wuhan University, and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on the development of protein degradation technologies, integrating single-virus tracking, in vivo imaging, and virus-mimicking nanosystems to advance targeted protein degradation strategies for antiviral and cancer therapies. She has published over 90 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nat. Commun., JACS, Angew. Chem., Adv. Mater., Nat. Chem. Biol. and Mol. Cell, with more than 40 papers as first or corresponding author. She has led several national research projects, including the National Key R&D Program and National Natural Science Foundation projects, and her work has provided innovative solutions for the therapeutic application of protein degradation technologies.