Booster Therapeutics Launches with $15 Million Funding to Pioneer Proteasome Activator Therapies for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Funding:
Booster Therapeutics has secured $15 million in seed financing led by Apollo Health Ventures and Novo Holdings to develop proteasome activator medicines.

Therapeutic Approach:
The company focuses on activating the 20S proteasome, which naturally degrades a wide range of misfolded or damaged proteins without the need for ubiquitin tagging, offering a broader therapeutic potential compared to targeted protein degradation methods.

Disease Focus:
Initial focus is on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, where impaired proteasome function leads to harmful protein accumulation.

Founding and Leadership:
Booster was founded by Dr. Diogo Feleciano and Prof. Dr. Darci Trader, with Dr. Patrick Trojer serving as Chair of the Board of Directors.

Platform Technology:
The company uses the DGRADX platform, which combines proprietary high-throughput screening and computational tools to discover and optimize small molecule proteasome activators.

Strategic Partnerships:
Novo Holdings will provide operational expertise, strategic guidance, and access to a larger network of talent to help advance Booster’s therapeutic concept.