Meet the team: Andrea Testa, Senior Director of Chemistry

Could you tell us more about your academic and industry journey? What led you to pursue your postdoctoral research with Prof. Alessio Ciulli, co-founding Amphista Therapeutics, and how that path brought you to TRIMTECH as Senior Director of Chemistry.

I joined Alessio’s research group over a decade ago, driven by an interest in developing chemistry that could help interrogate, understand and ultimately modify biological processes. During that time, I was fortunate to contribute to several pioneering projects in targeted protein degradation (TPD). We focused on uncovering the rules governing TPD, and Alessio’s group quickly became one of the world-leaders in the field. Our progress was recognised by venture capital investors, which created the opportunity to spin out Amphista Therapeutics. There I had the opportunity to develop the chemistry platform and work closely with Nicola (Nicki) Thompson, who soon joined as CEO and from whom I learned a great deal. The experience of being part of a groundbreaking startup company was incredible, and after a few years, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to do it all again – this time by joining TRIMTECH Therapeutics as it spun out from the academic groups of Leo James and Will McEwan. I was equally thrilled to work with leading scientists such as Alex Alanine (SVP Head of Chemistry), Damian Crowther (Co-Founder, Head of Research), Dean Clift (Head of Exploratory Biology), as well as Leo and Will, whose expertise continues to shape the field.

What does a typical day look like for you, and what aspects of your role do you find most rewarding or challenging?

Every day is different. Being in a small startup means wearing many hats. I enjoy getting hands- on with day-to-day operational tasks while also taking part in leadership meetings, business development activities, and discussions with investors. On top of that, I spend time mentoring team members and presenting our science at international conferences. I really enjoy that mix – I never get bored and I always feel challenged and engaged.

What differentiates TRIMTECH’s small molecule degraders from other targeted protein degradation (TPD) therapeutic modalities from a scientific or mechanistic perspective?

TRIMTECH’s degraders are unique because they recruit a different component of the cellular machinery – TRIM21, a novel E3 ligase – rather than the cullin enzymes typically used for protein degradation. While cullins are highly efficient at precisely targeting proteins that appear damaged or have undergone specific modifications and can be directed by small molecules to degrade soluble, monomeric proteins, TRIM21 has evolved to help the cell potently and selectively degrade large multimeric targets, such as viruses. This makes TRIM21 particularly well suited to be re-directed to degrade toxic protein aggregates while preserving the healthy native versions of monomeric proteins to maintain proper cell function.

Following TRIMTECH’s launch, you were named a runner-up for the EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist in Industry. What does this recognition mean to you?

This nomination meant a lot to me, as my path has been very different from that of most medicinal chemists in the industry. While most medicinal chemists develop in large or medium-size pharma which provide structured career ladders and extensive support infrastructure, I started my journey in chemical biology and developed entirely within small biotech, which presents an entirely different set of challenges and growth opportunities. Recently, I went to Portugal for the EFMC’s International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ASMC 2025). It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues and learn from established scientists in academia and industry through wonderful, insightful talks and inspiring stories. Additionally, I had the opportunity to give a keynote lecture and take part in a career panel discussion at the meeting organised by the EFMC Young Scientists Network. It was fantastic to talk with so many incredible young scientists about our science and my journey in biotech.

Do you have any advice for postdocs considering moving into industry and looking into ways to develop and commercialise their ideas?

My advice to postdocs is to be ambitious but realistic, find, or even build, a team of experts you can work with to achieve success and, perhaps most importantly, learn from along the way. While science and solid ideas are essential, the team is even more important: a great team can make a mediocre starting point into a success, whereas a mediocre team can make a great starting point into a failure.

What would you like to achieve over the next 5–10 years?

At TRIMTECH I have a unique opportunity to move degraders into the neurodegeneration space and to treat patients that have limited effective treatment options. I would like to see the clinical development of compounds based on the chemistry and degradation mechanisms I contributed to developing. I aim to continue working in biotech on exciting and groundbreaking science, translating academic research into transformative medicines, and progressing my career by spearheading innovative science, particularly in this rapidly developing field of targeted protein degradation which is coming of age as a therapeutic modality.