Conatus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company that focuses on the development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat chronic diseases. The firm engages in developing emricasan, an orally active pan-caspase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease and is designed to reduce the activities of human caspases. It also develops CTS-2090, an orally active selective caspase inhibitor, for diseases involving inflammasome pathways. The company was founded by Alfred P. Spada, Jennifer Giottonini Cayer, and Steven J. Mento on July 13, 2005 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.