Captor Therapeutics ®

About us

osoby w laboratorium

Who are we ?

Captor Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company leveraging Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) technology to discover and develop breakthrough therapeutics for high unmet medical needs.

TPD revolutionizes drug development by targeting "undruggable" molecular targets and providing new treatment options for diseases with unmet medical needs. Captor, based in Basel, Switzerland, and Wroclaw, Poland, develops therapeutics for severe conditions like malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

More about TPD
+76 M € for R&D projects
+50% Research staff with PhD
+1 100 m² of lab space
  • undruggable proteome
  • targeted protein degradation
  • autoimmune diseases
  • high unmet medical needs
  • cancer
osoby w laboratorium

How we
do it ?

Captor Therapeutics' Optigrade™ platform is a powerful drug discovery engine.

At Captor, we leverage cutting-edge technologies and multidisciplinary expertise to quickly identify and develop novel drugs that target high-value therapeutic areas. Our platform incorporates industry-leading protein engineering, structural biology, and molecular modelling that enables structure-guided optimization of our lead compound series.

Through targeted protein degradation, we carefully select optimal target-ligase pairs, allowing us to rapidly identify lead-quality molecules. We enhance our target validation and drug screening capabilities through precise genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 tools. Our expertise in proteomics and structural biology, combined with the latest technologies and interdisciplinary approaches, positions us strongly to address unmet medical needs and develop highly promising therapies.

With our Optigrade™ platform, we strive to expedite the drug discovery process and deliver clinical candidates that have a significant impact on patients' lives. Our multidisciplinary competences enable us to capitalize on the latest scientific advancements, selecting the most promising targets and developing degraders with excellent druggable properties.

We want to provide better solutions for science.

more about Optigradeᵀᴹ

Meet us

Captor Therapeutics is a Polish- Swiss company.

Captor GmbH entity operates in Basel, the pharma hub of Switzerland, providing excellent opportunities for business development, while our state-of-the-art laboratories are located in Wroclaw, Poland. Our integrated competencies and expertise in biology and chemistry allow us to perform all stages of early drug development.

Our team:

Management:

Tom Shepherd
Tom Shepherd President of the Management Board
Bio
Tom Shepherd
Tom Shepherd President of the Management Board
Appointment date:
Term of office expiry date:

Chief Executive Officer at Captor Therapeutics. 30 years’ experience of Biotech senior management in the UK, USA, France, Switzerland, Australia and Poland, leading 12 major license agreements, 6 private investor rounds and 3 IPOs.
Awarded a PhD in biochemistry from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, and CEP diploma from the London Business School. I am a keen amateur musician and enjoy hiking, sailing, skiing and photography.

Michał Walczak
Michał Walczak Member of the Management Board, Scientific Director
Bio
Michał Walczak
Michał Walczak Member of the Management Board, Scientific Director
Appointment date:
Term of office expiry date:

Michał Walczak is a Chief Scientific officer, CSO, responsible for R&D and strategy. He obtained a PhD degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich , ETH Zurich, and studied at the University of Wroclaw and University of Virginia. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, which is a part of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Roles played by the member of the Management Board in other companies: Not applicable.

Sylvain Cottens
Sylvain Cottens SVP Chemistry
Bio
Sylvain Cottens
Sylvain Cottens SVP Chemistry

I am a co-founder and SVP Chemistry of Captor Therapeutics who builds scientific strategy and oversees chemistry efforts.

Prior to Captor, I served as Global Head at Center for Proteomic Chemistry at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, where I played key roles in multiple successful discovery and development programs, e.g. AfinitorTM and in-licensing of GilenyaTM.

I studied and received PhD in organic chemistry from EPFL Lausanne.

In my free time I enjoy cycling and travelling.

Some of us:

Robert Dyjas
Robert Dyjas Head of Medical Affairs and Clinical Development
Bio
Robert Dyjas
Robert Dyjas Head of Medical Affairs and Clinical Development

I am a trained medical doctor with a specialization and PhD in Internal Medicine with over twenty years of experience in the clinical development of innovative drugs, both in global pharmaceutical companies, global CRO and biotechnology company. At Captor Therapeutics, I am responsible for the clinical development processes of drug candidates. In my spare time, I am passionate about travel, water sports, cycling and skiing.

Paweł Dobrzański
Paweł Dobrzański Head of Biology
Bio
Paweł Dobrzański
Paweł Dobrzański Head of Biology

I am the Head of Biology at Captor Therapeutics, where I oversee and coordinate the preclinical development of compounds, including translational studies. I obtained my Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Cologne, Germany. With over 30 years of experience in my field, I have held leadership positions and managed projects, teams, and departments in both large pharmaceutical and small biotech companies, primarily in the United States. I have led the development of several novel drug candidates that have entered clinical evaluation, focusing on both oncology and immune diseases.

Outside of work, I am passionate about skiing and mountain biking.

Michał Biśta
Michał Biśta Head of Structure, Fragments and Biophysics
Bio
Michał Biśta
Michał Biśta Head of Structure, Fragments and Biophysics

I head the Structure, Fragments and Biophysics department where we employ a wide range of in vitro methods to support drug discovery. Previously I worked at AstraZeneca (Cambridge, UK), where I contributed to discovery of several anti-cancer drug candidates. I have a Ph.D. degree from Technical University Munich. In my spare time, I like bicycles and jazz music.

Anna Pawluk
Anna Pawluk Head of Operations
Bio
Anna Pawluk
Anna Pawluk Head of Operations

Head of Operations at Captor Therapeutics. Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wroclaw and Executive MBA from WSB Wroclaw University. Having 15 years of R&D experience, I am responsible for day-to-day operations, overseeing the implementation of optimal processes, standards, and solutions to help the business run smoothly. In my role I have the opportunity for continuous development, and solving daily challenges gives me a lot of satisfaction. As for hobbies, I am an avid traveller and book lover.