Catalyst Biosciences is developing a new generation of biopharmaceuticals that harness the catalytic power of engineered proteases.

Proteases are naturally occurring protein-cleaving enzymes that regulate a wide variety of biological processes. Catalyst Biosciences is harnessing the power of these enzymes as bio-pharmaceuticals by either redirecting them to cleave specific proteins that promote disease or improving existing marketed protease-based drugs.  Catalyst calls these redirected engineered proteases "Alterase™ Therapeutics."  Our technology consists of methods to identify proteases with tailor-made specificity or improved pharmacological properties.  Catalyst’s Alterase™ Therapeutics represent an exciting new modality in protein therapeutics.  Alterase™ Therapeutics have the potential to be very powerful therapeutics due to their catalytic nature.  Unlike standard small molecule or antibody drugs, a single protease molecule can inactivate hundreds to thousands of target molecules, resulting in higher efficacy and lowered dosing.