Proxygen has appointed Chiara Conti as chief scientific officer, as the company looks to advance its pipeline towards clinical development and expand its induced proximity platform.

Conti joins from Blueprint Medicines, where she contributed to the development of multiple pipeline candidates, including programmes that progressed to investigational new drug stage and early clinical development.

At Proxygen, she will lead scientific strategy as the company transitions from a discovery-focused organisation into clinical-stage execution, with a focus on advancing assets based on molecular glue degraders and broader proximity-based approaches.

The company is working in the field of targeted protein degradation and induced proximity, an emerging area of drug discovery that aims to control protein function by bringing molecules into close proximity to trigger specific biological effects.

Bernd Boidol, chief executive officer at Proxygen, said: “Chiara’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment as we are now expanding into the broader induced proximity field, extending beyond degradation into a wider range of effectors.”

He added: “Her track record of rapidly translating discovery into IND-stage programs will be critical in accelerating our transition into the clinic.”

Conti said: “Proxygen’s platform stands out for the depth of its scientific foundation in proximity-driven protein degradation and its ability to systematically harness that knowledge to identify novel therapeutics.”

She added: “The opportunity to extend this platform beyond degradation into a broader induced-proximity engine is incredibly compelling, offering significant potential while advancing the existing portfolio.”

The appointment comes as Proxygen continues to develop its approach to induced proximity, which is being explored as a way to expand the range of druggable targets beyond those accessible through traditional small molecule or biologic approaches.

Alongside its internal pipeline, the company has established partnerships with pharmaceutical companies including Merck & Co, reflecting wider industry interest in proximity-based therapeutic strategies.

Proxygen said it will continue to invest in its protein degradation platform while also exploring new effector mechanisms, with the aim of building a broader pipeline based on induced proximity.

The move reflects a broader trend across the biotech sector, where companies focused on early discovery platforms are increasingly progressing towards clinical development as technologies mature and investor expectations shift towards translational milestones.