ProteinConjugates is an inter- and multi-disciplinary network for the education of talented young scientists who will learn how to rationally design and construct the next generation of chemically-defined and innovative protein drug-conjugates for the targeted treatment of serious conditions such as cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. A complementary interaction between academy and pharmaceutical industry is at the centre of such a network, which involves 8 academic groups and 1 SME partner as beneficiaries, and 2 leading European industrial partner organizations that will host secondments while providing training. The combined expertise of the beneficiaries and industrial partners in synthesis of complex molecules, molecular dynamics, supramolecular self-assembly, site-selective chemical protein modification, protein/antibody engineering, cancer therapeutics and drug development together with the experience in project management and training of PhDs and Postdocs of the PIs, will create a multidisciplinary environment where 10 young researchers can foster their knowledge and skills while developing the most innovative ideas in the emerging fields of chemical site-selective protein modification and protein biotherapeutics. Exposure to the highly dynamic and multidisciplinary ProteinConjugates environment will contribute to the education of the next generation of leaders in the emerging field of protein biotherapeutics, a key area of research and drug development for Europe's competitiveness.

Despite the continuing development of new and more efficient treatments, cancer remains the second cause of premature death worldwide. Multi-faceted interdisciplinary research efforts in industry and academia on different aspects of cancer have provided a knowledge basis for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. Paul Ehrlich, Nobel laureate in Physiology of 1908, had the early vision that a compound could be made to selectively target a disease-causing organism or tumor. A toxin for the particular tissue could be delivered by an agent of selectivity. Such an ideal therapeutic agent would be a "magic bullet" that only kills the target cells. This ETN initiative with the title Magicbullet::reloaded refers to Ehrlich’s bold idea and builds on the previous experience of the highly successful ETN MAGICBULLET (2015-2018, grant agreement No. 642004). As a consequence of the outstanding results, the ETN Magicbullet::reloaded will expand the field of investigation from peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) to small molecule-drug conjugates (SMDCs) with a special focus on drugs capable to stimulate tumor immune responses and overcome resistance to immuno-therapy. The consortium has been substantially expanded to perfectly address the needs of the new research direction. The planned ETN will design and synthesize an array of SMDCs (including PDCs), also targeting less investigated tumor antigens, investigate their pharmacokinetic behaviour, their implication on the immune system, as well as their tumor selectivity and antitumor activity. The consortium brings together interdisciplinary expert knowledge in Organic Chemistry, Peptide Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Discovery, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Cell Biology. This high complementarity is required for the different scientific tasks in the development pipeline. Vice versa, the recruited ESRs will be exposed to a challenging research environment leading to a broad range of scientific competences to be acquired.