Catalyst Biosciences and Mosaic Biosciences Partner on Eye Disorder Therapeutics

Catalyst Biosciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced on Oct. 24, 2017 that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Mosaic Biosciences, a privately held biotechnology company specializing in engineered protein and synthetic polymer-derived biomaterials, to develop anti-complement component 3 (C3) proteases from Catalyst for dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) and other serious inflammatory retinal disorders.

Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of the anti-C3 proteases. The objective of the collaboration will be to deliver product candidates with a target profile of a once-quarterly intravitreal (IVT) dosing regimen and better potency than competitor drugs. 

Catalyst’s current anti-C3 protease compounds have been shown to inhibit C3-a protein associated with AMD-in preclinical studies. The companies will co-fund the research. Catalyst will retain global commercial rights for all collaboration products, and Mosaic will receive product sublicense fees and/or milestone payments and royalties.

“Inhibiting C3 in the complement pathway has recently been validated for the treatment of Geographic Atrophy (GA), a late-stage form of dAMD. However, the current frequency of IVT drugs in development is not ideal for patients with chronic ocular diseases,” said Nassim Usman, PhD, president and CEO of Catalyst Biosciences, in a company press release. “Mosaic will apply its ophthalmology expertise, research team, proprietary protein engineering, and sustained-release technology to our anti-C3 protease lead molecule to develop a clinical candidate with the desired target profile. This collaboration agreement allows Catalyst to advance its anti-complement assets and explore potential licensing opportunities while maintaining its strategic focus on our clinical hemophilia programs.”

Source: Catalyst Biosciences