BioCentury This Week Ep. 345 - TAC to the Future. Plus: GSK Deal, MFN
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Jan 21, 2026 Danielle Golovin, a Senior Biopharma Analyst specializing in induced proximity technologies, shares her insights on the evolution of next-generation targeting chimeras (TACs). She discusses the surge in publications driving this analysis and highlights specific innovations like lysosomal degraders. Steve Usdin, Washington Editor, dives into the political landscape surrounding drug pricing policies, including MFN legislation and its implications for the pharma industry. The duo also examines GSK's $2.2 billion acquisition of Rapt Therapeutics, discussing its strategic significance.
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TAC Research Reached Critical Mass
- Danielle began tracking TAC literature once publications reached critical mass and many innovations were emerging from China.
- She saw rapid growth in publications covering PROTAC improvements, delivery, and new induced proximity modalities.
E3 Ligase Diversity Expands Target Space
- Classical PROTACs are bifunctional small molecules that recruit an E3 ligase to ubiquitinate targets for proteasomal degradation.
- Expanding beyond cereblon to many uncharacterized E3 ligases could broaden targetable proteins and modalities.
Trim21 Targets Aggregates, Sparing Monomers
- Trim21 activation requires clustering, enabling selective degradation of aggregated pathological proteins while sparing monomers.
- Companies like TrimTech are translating this unique E3 biology into therapeutics for aggregates like tau.