Georg Winter

Georg Winter, PhD, is an Adjunct Principal Investigator at CeMM (Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences) since 2016 and Life Science Director of AITHYRA, a new Research Institute for Biomedical AI (2025). His research bridges chemical biology with oncogenic gene regulation, focusing on targeted protein degradation (TPD) and proximity-inducing pharmacology.

• Affiliation: CeMM (2016–present), AITHYRA (2025–present)
• Academic Rank: Researcher (Principal Investigator)

Winter's work challenges the paradigm that 80% of human proteins are 'undruggable' by reimagining small-molecule design. His group pioneered molecular glue degraders (MGDs) and heterobifunctional degraders (PROTACs), aiming to program biology beyond evolutionary constraints. Key areas include:

• Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD)
• Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Reprogramming
• Chemoproteomics and Artificial Intelligence
• Cancer Transcription Regulation
• DNA Damage Response

His recent publications highlight advancements in dual-ligase recruitment, degrader prediction via AI, and Golgi-targeting strategies. Winter has received the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, Wilson S. Stone Memorial Award, and Elisabeth Lutz Award, among others. His group is supported by ERC Starting/Consolidator Grants, Cancer Grand Challenge, and the Mark Foundation Aspire Award.

Students in his lab include predoctoral researchers exploring transcription rewiring, epigenetic modulation, and proteolytic logic. The lab collaborates with institutions like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Vienna, leveraging CRISPR/Cas9 screens and deep mutational scanning to map proteome interactions at single-amino-acid resolution.