Shanghai, Hangzhou, China and San Diego, CA, USA — Degron Therapeutics ("Degron"), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a new class of molecular glue degrader (MGD) medicines targeting previously undruggable proteins, is pleased to announce that Zhongdong Zhao, PhD, has joined the company as Vice President of Chemistry. Dr. Zhao will lead the design, implementation, and execution of the company’s chemistry strategies in the discovery of molecular glue drugs. She will report to Dr. Lily Zou, CEO and Co-founder of Degron Therapeutics.

Dr. Zhongdong Zhao brings over 20 years of experience in small molecule drug discovery, with deep expertise in target validation, lead optimization and clinical candidate selection. Prior to joining Degron, Dr. Zhao spent 15 years at Gilead Sciences, where she led medicinal chemistry team and played a key role in advancing multiple compounds from early discovery through clinical development across therapeutic areas including oncology, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, and virology. Prior to working at Gilead, Dr. Zhao worked at CGI Pharmaceuticals, where she collaborated with the team on the discovery of a reversible BTK inhibitor for inflammation and autoimmune disease.

Dr. Zhao has a strong track record of translating cutting-edge science into potential therapies, with four compounds in PhII/III clinical trials. Dr. Zhao is the inventor or co-inventor of over 40 issued small molecule patents or applications and has authored over 10 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Dr. Zhao holds her BS in Chemistry from Beijing University of Science and Technology, MS in Applied Chemistry from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Queen’s University in Canada, where she conducted research in Professor Victor Snieckus’s group.

“I’m excited to welcome Dr. Zhongdong Zhao to join Degron’s senior leadership team,” said Dr. Lily Zou, Chief Executive Officer of Degron. “Dr. Zhao brings breadth and depth of chemistry expertise, with proven track record of delivering multiple drug candidates into clinical trials. We look forward to leveraging her experience to continue expand our molecular glue degrader platform and rapidly advance our pipeline discovery programs into clinical development.”

“Degron is a frontrunner in the MGD field, recognized for its strong scientific foundation and advanced screening methodologies for identifying novel MGDs,” said Dr. Zhongdong Zhao. “I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to join the team and leverage my expertise in small-molecule drug discovery to help accelerate the development pipeline, expand platform technologies, and contribute to the discovery of new MGDs that address significant unmet medical needs.”

About Degron Therapeutics

Degron Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotechnology company advancing human health by developing novel medicines using its proprietary molecular glue-based targeted protein degradation drug discovery platform. The company's unique GlueXplorer® platform has created a rapidly expanding IP-protected compound library and screening and validation systems to discovery a new class of small-molecule medicines that target previously undruggable disease targets. The company's pipeline includes a growing number of clinical and preclinical programs for oncology, inflammation, and metabolic diseases. For more information, visit www.degrontx.com.