Alessio Ciulli is Professor of Structural Chemical Biology at the University of Dundee and is an international leader in the chemistry of entirely new types of drugs that aim to redirect the cell’s proteolytic machinery to target a molecule which is not ordinarily degraded in that way. His work on protein–ligand and protein–protein interactions has directly enabled the field of targeted protein degradation. His lab’s discoveries have seeded an industry ecosystem with over 100 biotech companies working on TPD and virtually all major pharma now pursue degradation approaches. His academic–industry models accelerate translation, fostering open collaborations that move molecules from concept to clinic more quickly.