Proxygen Appoints Chiara Conti, Ph.D., As Chief Scientific Officer To Lead Transition Into Clinical Development

Proxygen, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery of molecular glue degraders and next-generation proximity-based therapeutics, announced the appointment of Chiara Conti, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Conti joins Proxygen from Blueprint Medicines, where she played a central role in identifying four development candidates over seven years, advancing two to Investigational New Drug (IND) status on record timelines and supporting two clinical programs in Phase I. 

She also established Blueprint Medicines’ targeted protein degradation (TPD) platform and early-stage portfolio. At Proxygen, Dr. Conti will lead the company’s transition from discovery to clinical-stage execution, guiding the advancement of its pipeline into human studies.

Bernd Boidol, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Proxygen, emphasized the strategic importance of Dr. Conti’s appointment. He noted that over the past five years, Proxygen has built one of the most advanced discovery engines for molecular glue degraders, consistently generating differentiated therapeutic candidates. With Dr. Conti joining at a pivotal moment, the company is expanding beyond degradation to a broader range of induced-proximity effectors while continuing to advance a pipeline designed for clinical impact. He highlighted her proven ability to move discovery programs rapidly into IND-stage development, which will be critical for translating Proxygen’s platform into the clinic.

Dr. Conti remarked on her excitement about joining Proxygen, saying that she has followed the company’s innovation since its inception. She praised Proxygen’s platform for its scientific depth in proximity-driven protein degradation and its systematic approach to identifying novel therapeutics. Dr. Conti expressed enthusiasm for extending the platform beyond degradation into a broader induced-proximity engine, noting the significant potential to expand therapeutic applications while advancing the current portfolio toward clinical development.

Proxygen plans to continue investing in its degradation platform to maintain a differentiated and robust pipeline, while simultaneously expanding into new effector classes. This dual strategy reflects the company’s belief that induced proximity is a versatile and powerful therapeutic approach capable of addressing high-value targets beyond the scope of traditional drug discovery.

The company has also established multiple partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies, including Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada), demonstrating strong industry interest in proximity-based therapeutics and highlighting the potential for collaboration as the platform advances toward clinical application.