Base to Base biotech podcast 32: Multi-omics data and protein degradation

This week, we have conversations on data integration with Lithuanian company Vugene, and we talk protein degradation with Amphista Therapeutics.Multi-omicsVugene is a Lithuanian bioinformatics company focused on multi-omics data integration. Founded in 2021 by CTO Juozas Gordevičius, the company is headquartered in Kaunas.Its core offering is a software platform designed to help researchers make sense of complex biological datasets — including transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics — without requiring deep coding expertise.The platform is a flexible, modular tool for academic and commercial labs that need to process high-throughput data but lack in-house bioinformatics capacity. Rather than offering a fixed pipeline, Vugene provides a semi-automated interface that allows users to upload raw data, select relevant analysis modules, and receive interpretable outputs.The emphasis is on speed, reproducibility, and transparency.Their early traction has come from collaborations with research groups in Europe and North America, particularly in oncology and neurodegeneration. While still early-stage, the company is positioning itself as a pragmatic alternative to both DIY bioinformatics and expensive consultancy models.We had a conversation with Gordevičius and the company’s CEO, Gražina Mykolaitytė.Protein degradationAmphista Therapeutics, based in the UK, recently announced first data from its SMARCA2 degrader programme, marking significant progress in the targeted protein degradation field.Amphista’s Targeted Glues achieved potent, selective degradation of SMARCA2 within four hours, with CNS penetration in vivo, avoiding off-target effects on the closely related SMARCA4 protein, a key challenge in the field.Building on SMARCA2 data, Amphista also unveiled its TEAD oncology programme, introducing a novel mechanism of action via F-Box Protein 22, distinct from cereblon- or VHL-based PROTACs. This marks the company’s second new MOA this year, reinforcing its leadership in the TPD space and expanding on the BRD9 MOA announced in 2024. Amphista has made significant progress across its pipeline.Their chemistry doesn’t depend on known ligase recruitment, which opens up targets that are inaccessible to conventional TPD platforms.This week, our guest is Louise Modis, chief scientific officer of Amphista.To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email [email protected]