Capstan Therapeutics Appoints Justin Thacker as Chief Financial Officer and Jeffrey Pepe, J.D., Ph.D., as General Counsel

Capstan Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing in vivo reprogramming of cells through targeted lipid nanoparticles, today announced the appointment of Justin Thacker as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Jeffrey Pepe, J.D., Ph.D. as General Counsel.

“Justin and Jeff each bring world-class expertise in leading biopharma companies through a wide range of major R&D and corporate milestones,” said Laura Shawver, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstan. “I am pleased to welcome them to our leadership team during a transformational period of growth for Capstan, as we continue to advance our vision of in vivo cell reprogramming through targeted delivery.”

Mr. Thacker joins Capstan with over 25 years of financial experience, including nearly 15 years in the life sciences industry. He most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Aristea Therapeutics. Prior to that, Mr. Thacker served as Vice President, Finance at Design Therapeutics, Inc., where he played a key role in the company’s $276 million initial public offering. Before that, he was Vice President, Finance, at Synthorx, Inc., where he supported the company’s $150 million initial public offering and finance infrastructure build-out prior to the company’s $2.5 billion acquisition by Sanofi. Mr. Thacker has also held roles at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and supported commercial launches at both ACADIA and Cadence. He began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Dr. Pepe is a seasoned life sciences executive, with experience in leading initial public offerings, managing clinical assets and developing global intellectual property strategic plans. Most recently, he served as Interim Chief Executive Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Silverback Therapeutics. Prior to Silverback, Dr. Pepe was a partner at Seed IP Law Group, where he served on the firm’s Management Committee while counseling private and public companies, board members and venture capitalists on intellectual property and other legal matters. He has also served as Associate General Counsel and Head of Intellectual Property at Trubion Pharmaceuticals and as Chief Patent Attorney at Nastech Pharmaceutical Company (now Adhera Therapeutics).