Initial Therapeutics Inc., a life sciences company discovering and developing new small-molecule therapeutics with a novel platform to selectively modulate translation of pathogenic proteins in the ribosome, has appointed Peter DiLaura as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. Spiros Liras, Ph.D., a Venture Partner at Apple Tree Partners (ATP) and founding CEO of Initial, will continue to serve on Initial's Board of Directors and the company's Scientific Advisory Board.

"Peter has a strong senior leadership track record in biopharmaceuticals and significant expertise in strategy, funding, and business development at emerging companies on the leading edges of science. We are delighted that he is taking the helm at Initial as our first programs progress," Liras said. "His expertise across a range of therapeutic modalities and indications and his sharp instincts about how to move companies forward all match very well with Initial's talented team, versatile platform, and growth opportunities."

"For some time, I have been following Initial Therapeutics with keen interest—the company is doing exciting and original work focused on protein modulation in the ribosome that is unlike any other approach I have seen," DiLaura said. "It's an honor to join Initial and work with the company's scientists, founders, and Board members to advance the promise of Initial's platform and programs and ultimately, to introduce new classes of small-molecule therapeutics to fight cancers and other intractable illnesses."

Peter DiLaura brings to Initial nearly three decades of experience in life sciences company creation and building, financing, strategy, and operations. Most recently, he was Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies to treat serious autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. At Sonoma Bio, he drove financing and corporate development efforts and built Sonoma Bio's finance, legal, intellectual property, investor relations, program and portfolio management, and human resources functions. Before joining Sonoma Bio, DiLaura was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures involved in company creation activities. Prior to that, he served as CEO of Second Genome, Inc., a pioneering microbiome therapeutics company. DiLaura holds a B.A. in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Character Biosciences and is an advisor to several biotherapeutic companies and venture groups.