SAN DIEGO, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caspian Therapeutics, Inc. (“Caspian”), a biotechnology company developing menin inhibitors for diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases, today announced the appointments of Manasi Jaiman, M.D., M.P.H., and Elizabeth Mily to its Board of Directors. Caspian recently launched with $50 million in financing to advance KO-7246 through IND-enabling studies and into Phase 1 clinical development.
“Manasi and Elizabeth bring the clinical and strategic judgment Caspian needs as we translate a compelling scientific foundation into a disciplined development company focused on diabetes,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., Executive Chairman of Caspian’s Board of Directors and President and Chief Executive Officer of Kura Oncology. “Manasi has helped advance innovative diabetes programs into the clinic, and Elizabeth has built the partnerships and capital strategies that enable life sciences companies to realize ambitious opportunities. Their experience will be invaluable as we advance KO-7246 toward the clinic and build a pipeline designed to address major unmet needs in diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.”
Dr. Jaiman is Chief Medical Officer of Aardvark Therapeutics. She previously served as Vice President, Clinical Development and Platform Lead at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and as Chief Medical Officer of ViaCyte, where she led clinical development of cell and gene-edited cell therapies for type 1 diabetes. Her work included developing a first-in-human protocol evaluating gene-edited cells delivered through a medical device. Earlier in her career, she led diabetes drug and device development and practiced pediatric endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she helped lead adult and pediatric bionic pancreas studies. Her clinical research has also included obesity and other metabolic diseases.
Ms. Mily has more than 30 years of experience across biopharma, healthcare investment banking and corporate strategy. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of the T1D Fund, where she led investment strategy and partnerships focused on accelerating new therapies for type 1 diabetes. Previously, she was Executive Vice President at Bristol Myers Squibb, with responsibility for external innovation, including acquisitions, partnerships, alliances and equity investments. Earlier in her career she held senior roles at Barclays, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Goldman Sachs.
About Caspian Therapeutics
Caspian Therapeutics is pioneering menin-directed therapies in diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. Built on more than a decade of menin-inhibitor research at Kura Oncology, Caspian combines deep expertise in menin biology and medicinal chemistry with a development strategy focused on the requirements of diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases.
Caspian’s lead compound, KO-7246, is a next-generation, highly selective and orally bioavailable menin inhibitor intended for metabolic applications and is currently in IND-enabling development. Caspian plans to evaluate KO-7246 in a Phase 1 program designed to assess its potential to restore functional β-cell capacity and endogenous insulin production in patients with diabetes. Caspian also plans to advance a second development candidate for additional cardiometabolic indications. To learn more, visit www.caspiantherapeutics.com.
Contact
Caspian Therapeutics
Robert Spencer, Ph.D.
rob@caspiantx.com
