Daguo Biologics Secures Second Place in 2023 AIM-HI Women's Oncology Startup Competition

Shanghai, China and San Diego, USA – October 17, 2023 – Degron Therapeutics today announced that, after fierce competition and rigorous selection by the organizers, Degron Therapeutics and its Co-founder and CEO, Dr. Li Hui Zou, ultimately won second place in the 2023 AIM-HI Women’s Startup Competition.

The competition winners were selected by a judging panel composed of top U.S. venture capitalists from among 71 female leaders of oncology startups across 15 countries worldwide. The winners will be announced at the event held on October 21, 2023.2023 Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & EntrepreneurshipThe official award ceremony was held at this grand event, jointly organized by AIM-HI and the American Institute for Cancer Research, at the National Press Club in the Washington, D.C. area.

Degron Therapeutics has successfully designed and synthesized a unique library of molecular glue degrader compounds, known as the GlueXplorer platform. By integrating this platform with phenotypic screening, proteomic screening, and artificial intelligence, Degron aims to accelerate the development of innovative drugs targeting undruggable targets. One of the company’s core R&D projects is a molecular glue degrader capable of degrading RNA-binding proteins that regulate key cancer survival pathways. As a global first-in-class molecular glue therapeutic targeting an “undruggable” target, it is expected to officially enter clinical trials for multiple tumor indications in 2024, thereby addressing significant unmet medical needs. These achievements have successfully attracted the attention of the judges at the AIM-HI Women’s Entrepreneurship Competition and earned their high recognition.

In 2020, AIM-HI launched the Women’s Entrepreneurship Competition, aiming to provide robust support through its global venture capital initiatives to female scientist-entrepreneurs in the life sciences sector who are in the early stages of their ventures and have limited access to resources. By leveraging world-class investment, the initiative seeks to create a sustained impact for cancer patients. Through its philanthropic venture capital approach, AIM-HI drives the translation of promising discoveries into breakthrough therapies, ultimately improving patients’ quality of life.

The 2023 Competition Jury Consists of the Following Members (in No Particular Order):

● Anna D. Barker, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officers, Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine

● Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Alliances, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

● Yijing (Jane) Chen, Ph.D., Associate, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

● Aleksandra Filipovic, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Oncology, PureTech Health

● Pamela Garzone, Ph.D., Chief Development Officers, Anixa Biosciences

● Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D., Innovation Faculty, MIT linQ CATALYST and General Partner of Qral Ventures

● Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

● Brian Leyland-Jones, M.B., B.S., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, National Foundation for Cancer Research

● Scott Lippman, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Medicine & Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research, UC San Diego Health

● Beverly Lu, Ph.D., Investment Manager, Health, Emerson Collective

● Jimmy Lu, J.D., MBA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Eos BioInnovation

● Eva Martin, M.D., Senior Director, Alliance and Asset Management, Roche Pharma Partnering

● Tom Miller, Founder and Managing Partner, GreyBird Ventures

● Gregory W. Mitchell, Ph.D., J.D., Of Counsel, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

● Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

● Fei Shen, Ph.D., Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA

● Suzanne Topalian, M.D., Associate Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University

● Kevin Tylock, Ph.D., J.D., Associate, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Competition is an unprecedented initiative that provides funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women-led oncology startups. The members of its three committees—selection, review, and investment—are world-class industry leaders, life sciences experts, investors, and entrepreneurs. They offer professional evaluations and recommendations to the winners of the Women’s Venture Capital Competition based on scientific and clinical value as well as commercial impact for cancer patients. These winners become eligible for due diligence by the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund and its co-investors for further venture capital financing, subject to mutual agreement on investment terms.

The AIM-HI Startup Accelerator Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2019 by the National Foundation for Cancer Research. It aims to provide oncology startups with the necessary resources to drive innovative discoveries from laboratory research into clinical development, ultimately bringing hope to patients battling cancer. Our non-profit status transforms the model for funding early-stage biotech companies by leveraging charitable donations to create impactful investments. Our mission is to bridge the gap between research findings and clinical trials, with the goal of developing innovative therapies and scientific technologies that can save the lives of cancer patients.

Degron Therapeutics Co. is a biotechnology company dedicated to the research and development of innovative drugs based on molecular glue-mediated targeted protein degradation. The company has established its proprietary GlueXplorer platform technology, which comprises a rapidly expanding, patent-protected library of unique compounds and a robust screening system, to develop novel small-molecule drugs targeting previously undruggable disease targets. The company’s product pipeline includes a growing portfolio of preclinical candidates for oncology, immune-mediated diseases, metabolic disorders, and rare diseases.