On December 10, 2025, at the invitation of Professor Zhen-Ge Luo from the School of Life Science and Technology at ShanghaiTech University, Professor Martin M. Matzuk, Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), Founding Director of the Center for Drug Discovery, and Chair and Professor of the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, delivered an insightful lecture titled Accelerating New Drug Discovery with DNA-Encoded Chemistry Technology for faculty and students.
Professor Matzuk is an internationally renowned scholar in reproductive biology and chemical biologist, with prolific achievements in researching key signaling pathways related to reproduction and cancer. He has authored over 400 research publications, including more than 25 papers in top-tier journals such as Cell, Nature, and Science, and holds 13 invention patents.
During his lecture, Professor Matzuk systematically explained how his team integrates functional genomics with cutting-edge DNA-Encoded Chemistry Technology (DEC-Tec) to build a transformative drug discovery platform. Utilizing mouse knockout technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9, the team has identified a wide array of key targets associated with fertility and reproductive tract diseases. They have also successfully constructed 70 DNA-encoded chemical libraries containing over 7 billion diverse molecules.
Professor Matzuk's pioneering research not only demonstrates the powerful capability of DNA-Encoded Chemistry Technology in accelerating innovative drug discovery but also provides new pathways for addressing long-standing challenges in reproductive health. The lecture fostered a highly engaging atmosphere, with Professor Matzuk's profound insights inspiring great enthusiasm for innovation and academic pursuit among the attending faculty and students.