Meet the Speaker
Ben is the CTO and Head of Platform at PhoreMost Ltd, a drug discovery company based in Cambridge, UK. He is a geneticist & biotechnologist and has pioneered the use of computationally engineered mini-proteins to enable new medicine development, including degrader-based drugs. Ben has research expertise in proteostasis, functional genomics and chemical genetic screening. He is the inventor of the GlueSEEKER platform at PhoreMost and has authored over 30 peer reviewed studies and patents working at the intersection of biology, drug discovery and data science. As a serial biotech platform builder, Ben has a proclivity for collaboration and for engineering business alliances across the life sciences sector.
Interview from 2025
Can you share a sneak peek into what Phoremost has in store for us at the summit at the summit?
Benedict: We'll be presenting an update on our recent preprint describing our molecular glue discovery platform. We'll share new data on a programme using a new an unprecedented E3 ligase for MGD development and the broad application of the approach.
In your position as CTO, are you seeing any big wins or obstacles cleared for the TPD community over the next year?
Benedict: Obviously the potential for regulatory approvals is important but from the technical perspective I think there are several key tools which are adding to the opportunities, including PPI-discovery tool and improvements in high-throughput MS. I'm also looking forward to more successful applications of computational chemistry innovations and I believe the induced proximity and the MGD field in particular can be an ideal use-case for these approaches.
Equally, what do you think are the biggest hurdles still to be tackled over the next year?
Benedict: Unprecedented target degradation remains poorly demonstrated across the field at the preclinical level, so the advances in neuro target degradation will be important. TPD is a biotech-led discipline and innovation has been stifled by a poor funding environment. These developments could be important to change that dynamic.
Seeing the latest updates in the field is always important, but actually the main benefits are the coming together in person to meet and share experiences and challenges in the community. This is a great event with a really good culture for productive and supportive interactions.
Any final thoughts or message you’d like to send to the people reading this interview?
Benedict: Looking forward to seeing you there!
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