Grove Biopharma Reports Breakthrough Preclinical Data Showcasing Targeted Degradation of MYC and KRAS Through Its Bionic Biologics Platform
Grove Biopharma, a privately held biotechnology innovator, has announced the publication of compelling preclinical findings demonstrating the targeted degradation of two of the most formidable oncogenic drivers in cancer biology—MYC and KRAS—using its proprietary Bionic Biologics platform. The data mark a significant scientific milestone for the company and highlight the therapeutic potential of its engineered protein-like polymers (PLPs), a new class of multifunctional biologics specifically designed to access and neutralize intracellular drug targets that have historically been considered undruggable. The publication underscores Grove Biopharma’s broader mission to develop scalable, transformative therapeutic solutions aimed at the most intractable intracellular disease targets through a modular, biology-driven design approach that redefines how complex proteins can be engaged and eliminated within living cells.
A New Therapeutic Modality Built on Synthetic Precision and Biological Design
At the heart of Grove Biopharma’s innovation is its Bionic Biologics platform, a technology framework that integrates advances in synthetic precision polymerization with computational and experimental protein and peptide engineering as well as medicinal chemistry. This multidisciplinary approach enables the creation of protein-scale synthetic molecules that replicate and expand upon the functional capabilities of natural biologics while overcoming many of their traditional limitations. Unlike conventional small molecules, which often rely on well-defined binding pockets within structured proteins, PLPs are engineered to engage challenging intracellular targets, including proteins characterized by intrinsically disordered regions that lack stable three-dimensional structures. These disordered proteins have long posed major obstacles to drug developers because they do not present the predictable surface features required for conventional inhibitor design. Grove’s platform addresses this challenge by designing modular polymers capable of dynamic interaction with these elusive proteins, thereby opening a new frontier in proximity-based therapeutic intervention.
Demonstrating Targeted Degradation of MYC
One of the most striking outcomes of the published study is the successful degradation of MYC, an intrinsically disordered transcription factor that plays a central role in approximately 70 percent of all human cancers. MYC is widely regarded as one of the most important and difficult targets in oncology due to its central role in regulating cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. For decades, researchers have attempted to inhibit MYC activity using small molecules and antibodies, yet meaningful clinical success has remained elusive because MYC lacks conventional drug-binding pockets and resides within the intracellular environment where antibodies cannot readily reach. Grove Biopharma’s PLPs demonstrated the ability not merely to inhibit MYC function but to eliminate the protein altogether through targeted degradation. By engineering bifunctional PLPs capable of simultaneously binding MYC and recruiting the cell’s own proteolytic machinery, the research team achieved selective degradation of this oncogenic driver, marking a pivotal advancement in the effort to neutralize one of cancer biology’s most persistent challenges.
Extending Platform Versatility to KRAS
In addition to MYC, the study validated the platform’s versatility by demonstrating targeted degradation of KRAS, another foundational oncogenic driver implicated in numerous aggressive cancers, including pancreatic, colorectal, and lung malignancies. KRAS mutations are among the most common oncogenic alterations in human tumors, yet therapeutic options targeting KRAS have historically been limited and mutation-specific. Grove Biopharma’s PLP technology showed the capacity to engage KRAS and direct it toward cellular degradation pathways, reinforcing the concept that proximity-induced chemistry can serve as a generalizable mechanism for eliminating disease-driving proteins. Importantly, the research also demonstrated the ability of PLPs to engage multiple cellular degradation pathways, further underscoring the adaptability and breadth of the Bionic Biologics platform. By successfully degrading both MYC and KRAS, Grove Biopharma has provided evidence that its approach can address a spectrum of high-value oncology targets previously considered beyond the practical reach of traditional drug modalities.
A Shift from Inhibition to Elimination
A defining feature of PLPs is their function as targeted protein degraders rather than simple inhibitors. Traditional inhibitors typically bind to a protein and suppress its activity temporarily, leaving the protein present within the cell and capable of regaining function once the drug dissociates. In contrast, targeted protein degraders orchestrate the complete removal of pathogenic proteins by directing them to the cell’s intrinsic degradation machinery, such as the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Grove’s PLPs embody this next-generation paradigm by combining selective binding with proximity-induced recruitment of proteolytic systems, thereby enabling irreversible elimination of disease drivers. This distinction is particularly meaningful in oncology, where persistent oncogenic signaling can drive rapid disease progression and therapeutic resistance. By removing MYC and KRAS entirely, PLPs may offer a more durable therapeutic effect compared with approaches that rely solely on transient inhibition.
Engineering Cell-Permeable Biologics
One of the longstanding limitations of biologic therapeutics, including antibodies and many peptides, is their inability to efficiently penetrate cells. Since many of the most consequential disease targets reside inside the cell, this barrier has constrained the therapeutic reach of conventional biologics. Grove Biopharma’s protein-like polymers are designed to overcome this obstacle. By combining the selectivity typically associated with biologics with structural and physicochemical properties that enable cell permeability, PLPs can enter cells and participate in intracellular protein–protein interactions. This capability represents a fundamental shift in biologic drug design, bridging the gap between the potency and selectivity of biologics and the intracellular accessibility typically associated with small molecules. The modular architecture of PLPs also allows rapid customization and optimization, supporting iterative design-build-test cycles that accelerate lead molecule identification.
Scientific Leadership and Foundational Innovation
The study was led by Nathan Gianneschi, Ph.D., Professor at Northwestern University and Scientific Founder of Grove Biopharma, whose research has been instrumental in pioneering polymer-based therapeutic technologies. According to Gianneschi, the team developed a one-step polymer chemistry solution that enables protein-like polymers to engage intrinsically disordered proteins and recruit the cell’s degradation machinery in a manner not previously demonstrated. The innovation lies not only in the ability to bind difficult targets but also in the streamlined synthetic strategy that supports scalability and reproducibility. The foundational intellectual property underlying this technology has been licensed from Northwestern University, positioning Grove Biopharma to advance these discoveries toward clinical translation. The company is now focused on transforming the academic breakthrough into a therapeutic pipeline capable of delivering first-in-class medicines.
Expanding Beyond Oncology
While the initial focus of the published research centers on oncology, Grove Biopharma envisions broader applications for its Bionic Biologics platform. Many neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases are driven by intracellular proteins that remain inadequately addressed by current therapies. The modular and programmable nature of PLPs provides a framework for designing degraders tailored to diverse pathological proteins across multiple therapeutic areas. The company is also advancing efforts to engineer PLPs with properties that support oral bioavailability, a rare and highly desirable feature for biologic therapeutics. In certain cases, Grove is exploring designs capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier, which could unlock new treatment possibilities for central nervous system disorders. These forward-looking initiatives highlight the platform’s potential to reshape treatment paradigms well beyond cancer.
Manufacturing Scalability and Rapid Development Cycles
A crucial advantage of PLPs lies in their fully synthetic origin. Unlike many biologics that require complex cell-based manufacturing systems, protein-like polymers are generated through precision polymerization techniques that can be scaled efficiently. This synthetic foundation not only facilitates cost-effective production but also enables rapid iteration during drug development. According to Paul Bertin, Ph.D., Co-Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer at Grove Biopharma, the modularity, cell permeability, and manufacturability of PLPs allow the company to conduct accelerated design-build-test cycles, quickly identifying optimized lead candidates for challenging intracellular targets. The scalability of the platform supports Grove’s ambition to bring transformative therapeutics from concept to clinic with greater speed and efficiency than conventional biologic approaches typically allow.
Redefining the Boundaries of Drug Discovery
Collectively, the successful degradation of MYC and KRAS provides compelling proof of concept that proximity-induced polymer chemistry can overcome long-standing limitations in drug discovery. By targeting intrinsically disordered proteins and eliminating them through the cell’s own degradation systems, Grove Biopharma’s Bionic Biologics platform challenges the traditional boundaries that have defined druggable space for decades. The findings suggest that a vast array of intracellular proteins previously dismissed as inaccessible may now be within reach. As Grove advances its pipeline toward clinical development, the company’s work signals a paradigm shift in therapeutic design—one that blends synthetic chemistry, computational biology, and protein engineering into a cohesive strategy capable of tackling some of medicine’s most intractable diseases. The publication of these preclinical results represents not merely a scientific achievement but a strategic inflection point for Grove Biopharma as it moves to translate its platform into next-generation medicines with the potential to redefine standards of care across multiple disease domains.
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