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April 10, 2026
- Yong Cang, PhD
- Shanghai Tech University
Novel Molecular Glue Degraders Overcome Limitations of Traditional Inhibitors
Molecular glue degrader (MGD) is an exciting modality of targeted protein degradation approaches. It induces proximity of an E3 ubiquitin ligase such as cereblon (CRBN) and a non-natural substrate protein by binding either of them but not both. Historically MGDs were discovered serendipitously, but recent mechanistic understanding of chemical-induced proximity has stimulated tremendous interest from academia and industry to create novel MGDs to target previously undruggable or insufficiently drugged disease targets. Here I will present our recent application of a “chemical-first” approach coupled with global proteomic analysis for MGD discovery. I will focus on some novel neo-targets to which conventional small molecule inhibitors demonstrated limited accessibility and discuss the ongoing therapeutic development with their MGDs.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Yong Cang is a scientific leader in targeted protein degradation, ubiquitin ligase biology and cancer immunotherapy with 40+ publications in top biomedical journals. Dr. Cang is a professor and head of the Laboratory of Targeted Protein Degradation in the School of Life Science and Technology of ShanghaiTech University in Shanghai. He previously was an assistant professorat Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla and a professor at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. Dr. Cang co-founded Degron Therapeutics, an innovative molecular glue degrader company, and consulted for pharmaceutical industry and venture funds. Dr. Cang received a BS from Fudan University and a PhD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral training with Professor Stephen Goff at Columbia.
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