City Therapeutics Appoints Keith Regnante, MBA, as Chief Financial Officer and Mary Beth DeLena, J.D., as Chief Legal Officer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--City Therapeutics, Inc. (City), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, today announced the appointments of Keith Regnante, MBA, as Chief Financial Officer, and Mary Beth DeLena, J.D., as Chief Legal Officer. Mr. Regnante will lead the company’s finance organization and capital strategy, and Ms. DeLena will oversee legal affairs and corporate governance as City continues to expand its next-generation RNAi platform and pipeline.

“With our lead program in the clinic and two additional programs advancing toward the clinic, these appointments strategically expand our leadership team with the right talent to match the scale of our ambitions,” said Andy Orth, Chief Executive Officer of City. “Keith is a proven company builder who effectively aligns capital strategy, portfolio priorities and operational excellence, and Mary Beth has deep legal and governance expertise along with many years’ experience in the RNAi field. We are delighted to welcome them to the team as we enter this next phase of growth.”

Keith Regnante, MBA, appointed as Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Regnante brings more than 25 years of public biopharmaceutical company finance experience, including two prior public company CFO roles. He joins City from Keros Therapeutics, where, as CFO, he led the company’s finance organization during a time of significant growth and capital financing, which included its IPO and two follow-on offerings as well as the establishment of multiple at-the-market facilities. At Keros, he was also instrumental in securing a licensing agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which included a $200 million upfront payment and up to $1.1 billion in potential future milestone payments.

Before joining Keros, Mr. Regnante served as CFO of Wave Life Sciences. Earlier in his career, Mr. Regnante held finance leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Shire Pharmaceuticals and Biogen, including senior positions in corporate finance and global research and development finance, as well as roles in investor relations and business development finance. At Biogen, he contributed to major transactions including the company's acquisition of Elan Pharmaceuticals' rights to Tysabri and its merger with IDEC Pharmaceuticals. He began his career as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and KPMG. Mr. Regnante earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Tufts University.

“City has the combination of exceptional science, leadership and team talent needed to lead the next generation of RNAi medicines,” said Mr. Regnante. “We expect to advance multiple clinical candidates and expand our platform partnerships, while maintaining a disciplined approach to capital raising and financial management. I look forward to working with Andy and the leadership team to support that growth and realize the full potential of our next-generation RNAi platform.”

Mary Beth DeLena, J.D., appointed as Chief Legal Officer

Ms. DeLena brings more than 25 years of legal and corporate experience in the life sciences industry, spanning early research and development through commercial launch and execution. She joins City from Paragon Therapeutics, where she served as Chief Legal Officer overseeing governance, licensing, alliance management and intellectual property. She previously served as General Counsel and Secretary of PepGen Inc.

Ms. DeLena spent more than 15 years at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, most recently as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, during which time the company advanced five RNAi therapeutics toward FDA approval. During her tenure at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, she advised senior leadership on multiple transformational transactions, including a $2 billion strategic financing collaboration with Blackstone, an $800 million eye and CNS collaboration with Regeneron, and a $700 million rare disease collaboration with Sanofi Genzyme. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President, Legal and Secretary at Praecis Pharmaceuticals, and began her legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Ms. DeLena earned a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in English from Trinity College.

“Our pipeline continues to progress and expand, and this is the time for City to evolve our legal and governance function to support our long-term success,” said Ms. DeLena. “I am energized to work again with colleagues who helped establish the RNAi field, and to support the advancement of this modality into new tissues and diseases for patients.”

About City Therapeutics

City Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of RNAi therapeutics designed to silence the expression of disease-relevant proteins, with the aim of delivering meaningful and durable benefits for patients in need. Co-founded by pioneering executives and scientists in the field of RNAi, City Therapeutics is based in Cambridge, MA, and has raised over $230 million from leading life sciences investors. For more information, please visit us at www.citytx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.