December 3, 2024
ERC Consolidator Grant propels Georg Winter’s groundbreaking work
Tailored small molecules that bind to cancer-causing proteins and neutralize tumor cells—this is the specialty of Georg Winter, Principal Investigator at CeMM, who has established himself as a global leader in the field. His latest ERC CoG project proposal, GE|NEomorph, will take his research to a new level. Instead of marking cancer proteins for cellular degradation, as in previous approaches, Winter’s designer molecules now target transcription factors. These molecules aim to reprogram the genetic activity of cancer cells—a promising new strategy for developing innovative therapies. The European Research Council (ERC) agrees, awarding €1.9 million over the next five years to support this groundbreaking project.
Georg Winter epitomizes the goals of the ERC’s funding programs. His exceptional work as a chemical biologist was first recognized in 2020 with an ERC Starting Grant. Five years later, the results of this support are clear: his research on small molecules that induce the degradation of cancer proteins has significantly advanced one of the most promising strategies for developing new cancer treatments.
In this period, his team has published over 30 studies, many in leading journals such as Science and Nature. Former team members and students now hold prominent positions in international research institutions, universities, and companies. In spring 2024, Winter achieved another milestone as the only Austria-based scientist to secure funding as part of a consortium in the Cancer Grand Challenge. Supported by Cancer Research UK and the US National Cancer Institute, this initiative will provide $25 million over five years to address key questions surrounding the origins of pediatric solid tumors.
Georg Winter’s work in targeted protein degradation is not only advancing fundamental research but also paving the way for practical applications. To this end, he co-founded Proxygen, a biotech company founded in 2020, where he serves as Chief Scientific Advisor. In 2023, Proxygen was recognized in the Fierce Biotech Report as one of the 15 most innovative and promising young biotech companies worldwide.
A New Strategy: Altering Gene Regulation
To further advance his highly successful cancer research, Georg Winter has received additional ERC funding through a Consolidator Grant. With the innovative GE|NEomorph platform, Winter aims to refine the principle of small molecules that selectively bind to cancer proteins. Instead of using so-called “molecular glues” or adapter molecules to direct cancer proteins to the cell’s waste disposal system, this new approach focuses on transcription factors—key regulators of gene activity that are typically inaccessible to conventional drugs and rarely considered therapeutic targets.
Winter’s project seeks to create new, so-called “neomorphic” surfaces on these transcription factors using tailored small molecules. These surfaces allow effector proteins to bind to the transcription factors, modifying their function in a precise manner—either activating or inhibiting them. “With the ERC-approved project GE|NEomorph, we can develop new chemical solutions to directly reprogram oncogenic transcriptional regulation,” Georg Winter explains.
This pioneering strategy holds tremendous potential for rewriting the genetic program of cancer cells and opens new avenues for creating targeted therapies in the fight against cancer.
See the CeMM News here.
For further information please contact:
Stefan Bernhardt, PR & Communications Manager at CeMM.