CODA Biotherapeutics, Inc.
South San Francisco, California–based biopharma CODA Biotherapeutics names Susan Catalano as chief scientific officer.
Founded in 2014, CODA Biotherapeutics is working on a gene therapy-mediated chemogenetic platform for intractable neurological disorders.
Catalano aims to help advance the company’s platform to find treatments for unmet neurological needs. “CODA’s combination of deep expertise in gene therapy and small molecule discovery and development, combined with its foundational technology in small molecule-tunable ion channels, is truly unique and holds the promise of shifting the paradigm of how we treat neurological diseases,” Catalano said in a press release. “I look forward to leading the effort to unlock the potential of this technology and develop therapeutics that can make a real difference in the lives of people who are desperate for treatment options.”
Susan Catalano, Ph.D., CODA chief scientific officer
Over email, Catalano said that “CODA’s technology platform has already delivered preclinical proof of concept: our lead drug (an engineered inhibitory ion channel activated by a brain penetrant small molecule) has demonstrated the ability to control spontaneous seizures in preclinical epilepsy models.”
Catalano said that she looks “forward to leading this world class team to progress CODA’s lead drug through development and toward the clinical proof of concept, where its impact on disease and patient’s lives can be measured. I’m also looking forward to applying CODA’s technology to other diseases by expanding and advancing our pipeline. ”
She was previously the co-founder and chief science officer of Pittsburgh-based Cognition Therapeutics, which developed a first-in-class CNS disease-modifying drug candidate known as CT1812. At Cognition, she was also a member of the board of directors. Cognition went public last year.
Catalano has more than two decades of experience in senior roles related to discovery and development and clinical development related to the central nervous system and oncology.
Before Cognition, Catalano had senior scientific roles at Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Rigel Pharmaceuticals and Roche Palo Alto.
Filed Under: Neurological Disease
