Company lands $15m to advance medicines that boost the body’s natural ability to remove disease-causing proteins in neurodegeneration and beyond.
Berlin-based biotech Booster Therapeutics has officially launched with a $15 million seed financing to advance its development of “proteasome activator medicines” designed to treat neurodegenerative diseases and a range of other complex conditions. The company’s small molecule therapeutics are intended to address impairments in the body’s natural protein-degradation machinery, a key factor in the progression of various serious diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Proteasomes can be thought of as a cell’s “quality control” system, degrading damaged or misfolded proteins to maintain cellular health. However, as people age or develop disease, the function of their proteasomes becomes compromised, allowing toxic proteins to accumulate and contribute to the onset of neurodegenerative and other complex conditions.
Traditional approaches have relied on tagging specific proteins with ubiquitin for degradation by the “26S” proteasome. Booster claims that this method, while effective in single-protein-driven diseases, falls short in addressing diseases driven by multiple protein dysfunctions. To overcome this shortcoming, the company is focused on activating the “20S” proteasome, which it says has the potential for more comprehensive protein degradation by naturally recognizing and clearing disordered proteins without the need for tagging. This direct activation can reverse proteasome dysfunction, helping to restore protein balance within cells, which is often disrupted in aging and disease.
“Aging and many complex diseases involve the accumulation of several damaged toxic proteins, which cause various problems, including impaired proteasome function,” Booster’s CEO Dr Diogo Feleciano told us. “We’re excited that proteasome activation might be a way to more comprehensively address these complex diseases instead of trying to target just one protein at a time. Our approach restores proteasome function, reduces misfolded proteins, and ultimately rebalances cellular homeostasis.”
Potential to extend healthy lifespan
As proteasome activity declines with age, Booster’s compounds aim to restore this function, potentially improving cellular resilience and extending healthy lifespan. The broader implications of this research may lead to significant advances in treating degenerative diseases, which are particularly prevalent in older populations.
“By activating proteasomes, we directly restore a key mechanism involved in aging, which can change how we address complex pathologies and impact patient lives,” added Feleciano.
Booster says its platform has already allowed it to build an extensive library of potential therapeutic compounds, and the company is actively developing a multi-disease pipeline, with an initial focus on neurodegenerative conditions.
The company emerged from the venture creation division of longevity focused investment firm Apollo Health Ventures, which also spawned companies including cellular reprogramming startup Focal Biosciences and autophagy focused biotech Samsara Therapeutics among others. The seed funding round was led by Apollo and Novo Holdings, the investment arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
“Booster’s focus on activating the 20S proteasome directly addresses a critical mechanism involved in the cellular stress of aging, offering us a new therapeutic perspective on major disease areas,” said Apollo partner Dr Marianne Mertens.
“Proteinopathy is core to many of the most challenging complex diseases, so the potential to address them with a single agent is incredibly promising and could reshape the treatment landscape,” said Novo Holdings principal Dr João Ribas.
