Friedrich Merz visiting professorship 2025: Prof. Raymond Deshaies visits Goethe University Frankfurt

From 3–7 November, a series of events took place as part of the Friedrich Merz Visiting Professorship, which in 2025 was awarded to Prof. Raymond Deshaies. Enabled by the Merz Foundation and organized by the curatorial team and PROXIDRUGS project leads Maike Windbergs and Stefan Knapp, the programme offered numerous opportunities for scientific exchange and inspiration.

Across several dedicated formats, students, researchers, and members of the public were invited to engage with current developments in targeted protein degradation, the design of PROTACs, and innovative therapeutic strategies.

A particular highlight was the Scientific Symposium on November 6, where several members of the Cluster – from senior researchers to early-career scientists – presented their work. Many more PROXIDRUGS researchers attended to listen to the inspiring talks and join in the scientific discussions.

The week was a great success and offered valuable insights for the entire PROXIDRUGS community. We were honoured to welcome Prof. Raymond Deshaies to Goethe University Frankfurt, where he shared perspectives on his groundbreaking research and exchanged ideas on the future of targeted protein degradation.