The 17th EFMC Short Course on Medicinal Chemistry on Small Molecule Protein Degraders
Graphical Abstract
The 17th EFMC Short Course on Medicinal Chemistry this year focused on Small Molecule Protein Degraders, and the opportunities and challenges that they present as a novel modality of drug design and development. This conference report summarizes the successful event, the lectures delivered, and the topics discussed.
Abstract
The 17th EFMC Short Course on Medicinal Chemistry took place April 23–26, 2023 in Oegstgeest, near Leiden in the Netherlands. It covered for the first time the exciting topic of Targeted Protein Degradation (full title: Small Molecule Protein Degraders: A New Opportunity for Drug Design and Development). The course was oversubscribed, with 35 attendees and 6 instructors mainly from Europe but also from the US and South Africa, and representing both industry and academia. This report summarizes the successful event, key lectures given and topics discussed.
Alessio and Suzanne are excited to report on the 1st EFMC course on Targeted Protein Degraders. Alessio has tweeted that it has been one of highlights of his year so far, working with amazing colleagues to inspire young scientists and nurture future leaders in the field. The course has been a success judging from the so positive feedback received. The report, published in ChemMedChem, is aimed to highlight the topics discussed and share our reflections and experiences of what worked well. The paper also includes up-to-date tables listing the degrader drugs in the clinic – for both PROTACs and monovalent molecular glues.
We hope these will prove useful references of this rapidly growing therapeutic modality. Ingo Hartung tweeted: “Thank you for bringing us all to beautiful Leiden. It was fun being part of this course and it forced me to read up on clinical stage #PROTACs. Although I fear that 6 months later everything is outdated again. The field is moving too fast.”
Prof. Dr. Alessio Ciulli, Dr. Suzanne O’Connor, Dr. Chun-Wa Chung, Dr. Ingo V. Hartung, Dr. Andrea Testa, Dr. Danette L. Daniels, Prof. Dr. Laura H. Heitman