Booster Therapeutics has received a $5 million research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The award, part of the Foundation’s Therapeutics Pipeline Program, will accelerate the development of a new class of small-molecule proteasome activator medicines aimed at restoring the cell’s natural quality control systems and clearing harmful proteins associated with Parkinson’s and other complex diseases.
The Berlin-based company is advancing a therapeutic strategy that seeks to directly activate 20S proteasomes, which naturally identify and degrade disordered or misfolded proteins without requiring ubiquitin tagging. This approach differs from traditional targeted protein degradation methods that focus on eliminating single disease proteins via 26S proteasomes. Since complex neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, often involve the accumulation of multiple misfolded proteins that disrupt cellular homeostasis, Booster aims to provide broader protein clearance by reactivating the underlying machinery responsible for protein quality control.
The grant will support Booster’s efforts to re-establish proteasome function by advancing small-molecule compounds that reverse dysfunction in the 20S proteasome. Proteasome breakdown contributes to the accumulation of misfolded proteins, which gradually damage cells and play a critical role in the aging process and the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases. By directly boosting 20S proteasome activity, Booster aims to address the biological roots of protein buildup and move toward the first human clinical evaluation.
Booster Therapeutics was founded by Dr. Diogo Feleciano, Prof. Dr. Darci Trader, and Apollo Health Ventures with support from Novo Holdings. The company was created through Apollo’s company formation strategy and has since built a substantial library of proteasome activator compounds with applications across a range of proteinopathies. Booster is developing a multi-disease pipeline, initially focused on neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease that are strongly linked to impaired proteasome function.
The company’s platform, DGRADX™, enables the discovery of small molecule therapeutics that enhance proteasome activity and support cellular health. Booster aims to translate these discoveries into clinical programs that target the core biological failures driving age-related and neurodegenerative diseases.
KEY QUOTES:
“Developing treatments that target the root biological drivers of Parkinson’s is essential to delivering meaningful benefits for people living with the disease. Through partnerships like our support of Booster Therapeutics, we aim to advance innovative approaches that strengthen the overall Parkinson’s therapy pipeline and move us closer to transformative treatments.”
Jessica Tomé Garcia, PhD, Lead Scientific Program Manager, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
“Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the nervous system that worsens as unwanted proteins build up in the brain over time. Proteasome activation has the potential to degrade deviant proteins that may be linked to Parkinson’s disease in a systematic fashion. We welcome this support of our research as we work towards a first-in-human phase 1 study of a potential new class of therapeutics.”
Dr. Diogo Feleciano, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Booster Therapeutics
