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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · May 7

Get ready for the PROTACS, targeting proteins related to cancer and potentially other diseases
a new feature @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Nature Reviews Cancer @natrevcancer.nature.com · Apr 25

NEW content online!

Targeted protein degradation for cancer therapy

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 25 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00817-8Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an emerging pharmacological modality in cancer therapy. In this Review, Hinterndorfer et al. outline the mechanistic bases of TPD and discuss the characteristics, advantages and applications of established compounds as well as upcoming classes of degraders.

www.nature.com

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Apr 9

Incredibly grateful and thankful for the resilience and brilliance of my postdocs @mariarrios.bsky.social and Conner Craigon, the incredible support by @b45her71.bsky.social and Mark Nakasone, and the talented team at Tocris led by Hannah Maple. Brilliant team-science!

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Apr 9

We love it as it works real well! We are curious to hear your thoughts and learn feedback as you try it out for your own research, so do reach out we are happy to share all reagents and ahead of the key products becoming available via Tocris @biotechne.bsky.social

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Apr 9

Excited to share our latest preprint introducing BromoCatch - our cool new Tag solution for protein self-labeling inside cell. This should be a useful addition to the current arsenal of tools eg Halo, Snap. Link to the paper to catch your attention! => www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Apr 9

Thank you Biochemical Society it is an honour on behalf of all of the team present and past member to receive this award. Everyone at @dundeeuni.bsky.social and @boehringerglobal.bsky.social are very proud of this recognition of our model reimagining how academia and industry work together

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Mar 15

Delighted to see this, many congratulations and fully deserved! The Boehringer foundation and your colleagues are lucky to have your vision leading this initiative. I am excited as our collaboration will thrive in your new home, and by opportunities for AITHYRA and CeTPD to work together in future

Georg Winter @georgwinter.bsky.social · Mar 13

Something that qualifies as big news from my side:
I am very happy and excited to announce that I have been appointed as Life Science Director at AITHYRA, a new Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence.

Find out more in the link and 🧵 below

lnkd.in/d_HaGuSE

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Georg Winter @georgwinter.bsky.social · Mar 13

Something that qualifies as big news from my side:
I am very happy and excited to announce that I have been appointed as Life Science Director at AITHYRA, a new Research Institute for Biomedical Artificial Intelligence.

Find out more in the link and 🧵 below

lnkd.in/d_HaGuSE

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Mar 10

Well done @holmqvist89.bsky.social and @nurkocaturk.bsky.social - dream team! ;)

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Mar 10

Check-out the first paper from @farnabygroup.bsky.social developing novel chemistry for plate-based PROTAC assembly that in a single Direct-to-Biology (D2B) screen delivers a potent hit that degrades the target protein in the brain of a mouse. Delighted to see this out and kudos to all co-authors

Farnaby Research Group @farnabygroup.bsky.social · Mar 10

Excited to share the Farnaby Group’s first pre-print, detailing our approach to plate-based bifunctional chemical probe discovery, identifying a brain active PROTAC directly from a single screen. 1/7

chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...

Discovery of a CNS active GSK3 degrader using orthogonally reactive linker screening

Bifunctional targeted protein degraders, also known as Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs), are an emerging drug modality that may offer a new approach to understand and treat neurodegenerative d...

chemrxiv.org

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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Women in TPD & Induced Proximity @womenintpd.bsky.social · Feb 22

Congratulations to our Keystone Proximity-Based Therapeutics conference travel scholarship winners Christine Ng @stanford-chemh.bsky.social and @alesalerno.bsky.social at CeTPD Dundee! @keystonesymposia.bsky.social

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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Women in TPD & Induced Proximity @womenintpd.bsky.social · Jan 24

Congratulations to @alesalerno.bsky.social from University of Dundee CeTPD and Christine Ng from @stanford-chemh.bsky.social who have been selected as recipients of our conference travel scholarships to attend the Proximity-based Therapeutics Keystone conference @keystonesymposia.bsky.social!

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Jan 25

Go Ale go! 💪👍🙏

Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Jan 11

Nice work team!

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Jan 7

Our privilege to coauthor a paper with the inimitable @giuliosupertifurga.bsky.social and his amazing team! Thank you 🙏 Giulio for the great collaboration and Kudos to Gernot in GSF Lab and Conner and Diane in my Lab and to all the coauthors. Macrocyclic PROTAC chemistry by @yutingcao.bsky.social

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Jan 7

Collaboration with @supertifurgalab.bsky.social out in @cp-cellchembiol.bsky.social we identify a role of ABCC1 transporter in PROTAC efflux. It turns out, getting in is surprisingly not often the problem; it’s keeping it once inside the cell! Maybe some wider lessons. Designing it out could be key

Superti-Furga Lab @supertifurgalab.bsky.social · Jan 7

Kicking off the new year: A collaboration between @giuliosupertifurga.bsky.social and @alessiociulli.bsky.social using a transporter-focused genetic screens revealed that the efflux pump ABCC1/MRP1 restricts PROTAC sensitivity in cancer cells. Out now in @CellChemBiol www.cell.com/cell-chemica...

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Jan 2

The best way to start 2025: New Year, New Paper! Happy to see (finally!) the science of Amphista therapeutics coming out on @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social Work led by @andre-head.bsky.social and Scott Hughes and congrats to the entire Amphista team involved on the drug development and mode of action.

Andrea Testa @andre-head.bsky.social · Jan 2

Really pleased to share this story from Amphista Therapeutics on the discovery and MoA of a potent and selective BRD9 "targeted glue" degrader. The compound also works in vivo and is orally bioavailable! Fantastic work from the team on a super fun project!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Alessio Ciulli

Alessandra Salerno 👩‍🔬 @alesalerno.bsky.social · Dec 22

It was such a fun experience exploring the endless possibilities that unconventional ideas (and chemotypes!) can bring to life! 💡 Huge kudos to everyone who was part of this exciting project! 💫🧪

Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

🚨 Exciting News! 🚨

What happens when unconventional ideas drive to push boundaries? 🚀 Meet FerroTACs: a novel #PROTAC design using ferrocene as core unit to re-imagining linker design and fine-tune their phys-chem properties. Learn more about our work led by @alesalerno.bsky.social here: 🧪👇 1/5

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 22

Cool to learn you like it! 👍

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 22

Loads! The idea first emerged ~7y ago at a group meeting, @andre-head.bsky.social recalls well. He was keen but had his hands full. 4 years later until anyone took the suggestion seriously (Claudia) she had many plates spinning too but @alesalerno.bsky.social had just joined and really run with it!

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

Last Christmas, Claudia and Alessandra gave us DCC PROTACs doi.org/10.26434/che... .. This year, to keep us in the theme, they together with Lianne are giving us something special.. 🎶 Big kudos to them all and great job @alesalerno.bsky.social for championing this. Let us know your thoughts! 5/5

Ternary Complex-Directed Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry Enables Discovery of Potent VHL Homo-PROTACs

Dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) leverages a reversible reaction to generate compound libraries from constituting building blocks under thermodynamic control. The position of this equilibrium can...

doi.org

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

Our findings, supported by NMR conformational analyses, reveal ferrocene’s ability to act as a versatile and effective dynamic linker in PROTACs. This opens up new avenues for designing next-gen chemical tools and starting points for therapeutics with optimised molecular dynamics. 🌟 4/5

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

Compared to benchmark PROTACs from 3 different classes, not just BETs (!) but also VHL and CRBN degraders, FerroTACs achieved:
✅Intramolecular interactions that foster a folded state in non-polar environments
✅Robust target degradation
✅Improved cell permeability
✅Reduced efflux liabilities
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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

We integrated in the linker ferrocene—an organometallic structure with freely rotating cyclopentadienyl rings around a sandwiched iron metal ion. This unique “molecular hinge” introduces dynamic flexibility and chameleonicity to PROTACs. ⚙️✨ 2/5

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Alessio Ciulli @alessiociulli.bsky.social · Dec 21

🚨 Exciting News! 🚨

What happens when unconventional ideas drive to push boundaries? 🚀 Meet FerroTACs: a novel #PROTAC design using ferrocene as core unit to re-imagining linker design and fine-tune their phys-chem properties. Learn more about our work led by @alesalerno.bsky.social here: 🧪👇 1/5

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