BMBF Clusters4Futures PROXIDRUGS
Innovative Therapies for Human Diseases: Targeted Degradation as New Mode of Action for Drugs (PROXIDRUGS)
The Clusters4Future initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aims at promoting regional innovation networks for the benefit of economy and society.
PROXIDRUGS has been set up as a regional network of partners from academia and industry, covering the entire value chain from basic to translational research. Academic participants are based at Goethe University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt, University of Heidelberg, the MPI of Biophysics and the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, and they are closely working together with industry partners from the pharmaceutical sector.
PROXIDRUGS Key Data
Coordinating Institution: Goethe University Frankfurt
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Ivan Đikić
Funding Period: 2021–2025
Link to PROXIDRUGS Website
Projects Conducted at the MPI of Biophysics
Investigator: Gerhard Hummer in cooperation with Christian Münch (Goethe University)
Term: 2021–2025
The goals of the project are the characterization of Proxidrugs target proteins and degradation mechanisms. Methods of quantitative proteomics, functional genomics and computational biology are adapted and further developed to PROXIDRUGS-specific questions. This will form the basis for future approaches to drug screening to test the degradation of target proteins in high throughput.
Investigator: Gerhard Hummer in cooperation with colleagues at Goethe University, TU Darmstadt, and Merck KGaA
Term: 2021–2025
PROTACs represent a new class of pharmacologically active compounds that have recently been investigated for the first time in clinical trials. NewPRO aims to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of PROTACs through the use of new E3 ligands and to significantly expand the possibilities of rational design by expanding the portfolio of established E3 ligands.