Executive Summary / Description
Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) 2.0 moves beyond occupancy-driven inhibition to event-driven pharmacology-hijacking cellular quality-control machinery (UPS, lysosome, autophagy) to eliminate disease-causing proteins, aggregates, and scaffolds once considered "undruggable." The category now spans heterobifunctionals (PROTACs), mono-valent molecular glues, deubiquitinase-tethering (DUBTACs), lysosome-directed degraders (LYTACs), autophagy-targeting chimeras (AUTACs), ATTEC/MITO-TACs, and RNA/protein hybrid degraders. Next-wave platforms emphasize E3 ligase diversity, tissue-specific ligases, glue discovery at scale, covalent chemistries, subcellular localization control, and targeted delivery (including CNS-penetrant degraders).
Why TPD is breaking out:
- Clinically validated degradation of key oncoproteins (e.g., BTK/BRD4 class) and expansion into neurodegeneration, immunology, virology.
- Undruggable proteome access via glue discovery and non-canonical E3 ligases.
- Better PK/PD tolerability from catalytic, sub-stoichiometric action; potential lower dose and deep target suppression.
- Clear partnering appetite and CDMO capability ramp for complex heterobifunctionals.
Market outlook: From ~$2.2B in 2024 (early oncology revenue + upfronts) to $18-25B by 2035 and $40-55B by 2040, driven by:
- First best-in-class degraders in oncology (BTK-resistant, KRAS-adjacent scaffolds, transcription factors)
- Glue-based CNS assets (tau, a-synuclein, TDP-43 pathways)
- Immunology (pathologic kinases, inflammasome adaptors)
- Combination regimens (IO + degrader; kinase-inhibitor + degrader rescue)
- Platform licensing economics (ligase toolkits, glue engines)
Technology Understanding (Mechanistic & Platform Logic)
Modalities & Machinery
- UPS-centric:
- PROTACs (heterobifunctionals): target binder-linker-E3 ligase ligand (e.g., CRBN, VHL, IAP, MDM2, DCAF family).
- Molecular glues: monovalent small molecules that stabilize neomorphic PPIs between a target and E3 (e.g., IMiDs-CRBN, non-IMiD glue classes).
- DUBTACs: recruit deubiquitinases to stabilize desired proteins (gain-of-function diseases).
- Lysosome/Autophagy-centric:
- LYTACs: extracellular/secreted targets routed to lysosome via ASGPR/CI-M6PR receptors.
- AUTACs/ATTECs: tags elicit selective autophagy of cytosolic cargo; mitophagy-targeting chimeras for mitochondria.
- Hybrid / Frontier: RNA-targeting degraders (RIBOTACs), degron-editing, light-activated degraders, PROTAC-antibody conjugates.
Key 2.0 Advances
- Ligase expansion beyond CRBN/VHL (e.g., RNF114, DCAF15/16, FEM1B, KEAP1, KLHL family).
- Glue-first discovery platforms: chemoproteomics, DELs, AI PPI predictors, covalent glue design.
- CNS-penetrant chemistries (macrocycle minimization, polarity tuning, linker truncation).
- Subcellular targeting (nucleus, mitochondria, endosome).
- Covalent reversible warheads improving residence time & ternary complex stability.
- Degrader-IO cross-talk (antigen presentation ↑; synthetic lethality).
Development Challenges (and fixes)
- PK: large polar surface areas -> ve/PSA optimization, macrocycle trimming, intramolecular H-bonding.
- Selectivity: unintended neo-substrates -> chemoproteomic screens, degron mapping.
- Resistance: target/ligase mutations -> ligase switching, dual-E3 degraders.
- Tox: cereblon neosubstrate depletion, on-target toxicity -> ligase choice, degron engineering.
Table of Content
1. Introduction & Methodology
- 1.1 TPD 2.0 Scope and definitions
- 1.3 Clinical/regulatory context vs inhibitors and gene therapy
2. Biology of Protein Quality Control
- 2.1 Ubiquitin-proteasome system (E1/E2/E3; degrons)
- 2.2 Lysosome and autophagy pathways
- 2.3 Neomorphic PPIs & induced proximity principles
- 2.4 Degron code & targetability rules
3. Modality Classes & Engineering
- 3.1 PROTACs: linker physics, ternary complex kinetics, cooperativity
- 3.2 Molecular glues: discovery engines (DEL/HTS/chemo-proteomics/AI)
- 3.3 DUBTACs: deubiquitinase selection & stabilization logic
- 3.4 LYTACs: extracellular target scope, receptor choice (ASGPR, CI-M6PR)
- 3.5 AUTACs/ATTEC/MITO-TAC: selective autophagy circuits
- 3.6 Hybrid modalities (RIBOTACs; antibody-PROTAC conjugates; light-switchable degraders)
4. Ligase Landscape & Tissue Targeting
- 4.1 Canonical ligases (CRBN, VHL) - pros/cons
- 4.2 Non-canonical ligases map (DCAF15/16, RNF114, KEAP1, FEM1B, FBXO family)
- 4.3 Tissue-specific ligases (liver, muscle, CNS)
- 4.4 Ligase switching & dual-ligase designs
5. Target Classes & Indication Maps
- 5.1 Oncology: KRAS pathway scaffolds, BET/BRD, CDK, AR/ER variants, BTK C481S
- 5.2 Neuro: tau, a-syn, TDP-43, huntingtin fragments
- 5.3 Immunology/Inflammation: IRAK4, TYK2, inflammasome adaptors
- 5.4 Virology: capsid proteins, replication factors
- 5.5 Rare disease & aggregate proteopathies
6. Clinical Development Landscape
- 6.1 Global pipeline census (by class, stage, indication)
- 6.2 Pivotal/registrational candidates
- 6.3 Safety learnings & off-target liabilities
- 6.4 Resistance biology & next-gen workarounds
7. Competitive & Deal Landscape
- 7.1 Company archetypes (platform vs asset)
- 7.2 Big-pharma alliances & economics
8. Market Access & Commercial Outlook
- 8.1 Pricing analogs vs inhibitors & cell therapy
- 8.2 Reimbursement
- 8.3 Combination strategies & label expansion
9. Forecasts & Scenarios (2025-2040)
- 9.1 TAM/SAM by domain (oncology, neuro, immunology)
- 9.2 Base/Bull/Bear adoption curves
10. Appendix