Thousand Oaks-based gene therapy company Capsida Biotherapeutics on Tuesday announced the appointment of Peter Anastasiou as its chief executive officer effective Jan. 3.
Capsida secured $140 million in series A funding earlier this year as it emerged from stealth mode. The biotechnology company secured funding from Versant Ventures and Westlake Village BioPartners worth $50 million in addition to a $90 million collaboration with Chicago-based pharma giant AbbVie.
Anastasiou was previously with Danish international pharmaceutical company Lundbeck, where he served as an executive vice president and a member of the executive committee. He has led as many as 1,200 employees and secured net revenues of $1.5 billion.
The press release released by Capsida did not mention Dr. Robert Cuddihy, the company’s former chief executive officer. Cuddihy’s LinkedIn profile marks August as his last month with Capsida. The profile states Cuddihy’s current occupation as owner of Cuddihy LifeSciences and Healthcare Consulting.
It is unclear if an interim chief executive officer took over at Capsida following Cuddihy’s departure. A spokesperson for Capsida did not add to the press release.
“I can’t imagine a more exciting time to join this organization,” Anastasiou said. “Capsida is enabling gene therapy to become what the industry, physicians, and patients have been dreaming it will be. Our patent-protected technology allows the targeting of cells and organs while limiting the negative impact on non-targeted areas and can be applied across multiple therapeutic areas.”
Capsida also promoted Capsida co-founders Nick Goeden to chief technology officer and Nicholas Flytzanis to chief scientific officer.
“The promotions of Drs. Flytzanis and Goeden are in recognition of the significant contributions they have made since co-founding Capsida in 2019,” Anastasiou said. “Their steadfast commitment to delivering on the promise of Capsida’s differentiated, non-invasive gene therapy platform has been a key driver behind many of the company’s early achievements.”