Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. Announces Appointment And Promotion Of Senior Executives
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Catalyst Biosciences, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on engineering and developing novel therapeutic protease products, today announced the promotion of Edwin Madison, Ph.D. to Chief Scientific Officer and the appointment of Roger Thomas, Ph.D. as Vice President, Preclinical Research.
Catalyst is focused on significantly expanding the therapeutic application of proteases through high-throughput protein engineering. The Company's product discovery platform includes methods to rapidly create and optimize tailor-made protease drug candidates, called Alterases(TM), applicable across a broad spectrum of clinical categories. Catalyst recently completed a $30 million Series B financing, and has secured over $40 million to date to advance its therapeutic programs.
"Ed has been instrumental in Catalyst's growth and evolution as a company," said David O'Reilly, president of Catalyst. "We are pioneering a new drug discovery approach to disease, and Ed has provided exceptional leadership for the rapid development of technology and programs that align our milestones with our vision."
"Roger brings to Catalyst a wealth of expertise in the preclinical assessment of drug molecules and the advancement of therapeutic candidates into the clinic," continued Mr. O'Reilly. "We are delighted that he has joined us to help bring Catalyst to the next stage of its development."
Dr. Madison has served as Vice President, Research of Catalyst since February 2004. Prior to joining Catalyst, he was Vice President of Biological Research at Dendreon San Diego and Dendreon Corporation, Professor of Vascular Biology at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, and Adjunct Professor of Vascular Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. Prior positions also include Associate Professor of Vascular Biology at The Scripps Research Institute and a faculty position at University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWC) with joint appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry and Internal Medicine. Dr. Madison received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from UTSWC. Dr. Madison has achieved an international reputation in the fields of serine protease and serpin basic research, and he is one of the lead inventors of Tenecteplase, an engineered protease therapeutic currently marketed by Genentech and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Dr. Thomas joins Catalyst from Theravance, where he was Vice President, Pharmacology and Principal Research Fellow. He joined Theravance in 1998 as one of its first employees, as Director of Pharmacology. Over the next eight years, he played a key role in the growth of the company and the introduction of a number of compounds into clinical development for the treatment of infectious diseases, overactive bladder, gastro-intestinal disorders, asthma and COPD. From 1989 to 1998, Dr. Thomas served in a variety of scientific positions at Genentech, most recently as Senior Scientist in the Department of Cardiovascular Research, where he worked on a number of successful research projects including second-generation thrombolytics and the use of thrombopoietin (TPO) for the treatment of cancer. From 1986 to 1989 Dr. Thomas worked as Senior Scientist at The William Harvey Research Institute, London. Dr. Thomas earned a Ph.D. in Physiology/Pharmacology from the University of Strathclyde and a B.Sc. Honors degree in Pharmacology from University of Sunderland.
About Catalyst Biosciences:
Catalyst Biosciences is developing the next generation of biopharmaceuticals by harnessing the catalytic power of proteases. Proteases are naturally-occurring, protein-degrading enzymes that have been used against their normal physiological targets as safe, effective therapeutic agents for over fifteen years. Catalyst is focused on significantly expanding the therapeutic application of proteases through high-throughput protein engineering. The Company's product discovery platform includes methods to rapidly create and optimize tailor-made protease drug candidates, called Alterases(TM), applicable across a broad spectrum of clinical categories. Catalyst has focused its product development efforts in the areas of inflammation and cancer, where it has clearly demonstrated the advantages of protease therapeutics for important classes of disease targets. For more information, visit www.catbio.com.
Contact: Jennifer Larson, +1-415-946-1074, or jlarson@weisscommpartners.com, for Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.
Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.CONTACT: Jennifer Larson, +1-415-946-1074, orjlarson@weisscommpartners.com, for Catalyst Biosciences, Inc.
Web site: http://www.catbio.com//