CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–Caldera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other immune-mediated conditions, has appointed Michelle Doig as chief financial officer and Lee Giguere, J.D., as chief legal officer as the company prepares to become publicly traded and advance its lead drug candidate into Phase 2 clinical trials.
The appointments come as Caldera moves forward with its proposed merger with Synlogic and a concurrent private placement expected to raise approximately $278 million.
Caldera is developing CLD-423, a bispecific antibody designed to target IL-23p19 and TL1A, two pathways involved in inflammatory bowel disease. The company plans to advance the experimental therapy into Phase 2 trials.
“We are pleased to welcome Michelle and Lee to Caldera at this important stage in our company’s evolution,” said Praveen Tipirneni, M.D., MBA, chief executive officer of Caldera. “Both bring extensive experience and proven leadership in the biotechnology industry. Their expertise in capital markets, corporate finance, investor relations, legal affairs, and corporate governance will be invaluable as we prepare to become a publicly traded company and advance the development of CLD-423 in Phase 2 IBD trials.”
Doig joins Caldera with more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology finance, corporate strategy, investment management and company development.
Before her appointment, she served as partner and head of corporate development at Omega Funds, where she led investments and held board positions at several biotechnology companies, including Caldera, between January and October 2026.
Earlier in her career, Doig held leadership positions at Third Rock Ventures and Abingworth, focusing on corporate finance, fundraising and private and public financing transactions involving biotechnology companies.
She began her career in investment banking, working at Morgan Stanley Canada in Toronto, J.P. Morgan H&Q in New York and Lehman Brothers International in London.
Doig earned an honors degree in business administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University.
“I’m thrilled to join this exceptionally talented team to help strengthen the company’s financial foundation and strategy,” said Doig. “Caldera is leading the march towards IBD bispecifics, and CLD-423 has the potential to break through the therapeutic ceiling of currently approved single-targeted therapies and redefine therapeutic expectations for patients suffering from IBD.”
Giguere joins Caldera with more than 20 years of experience in legal affairs and corporate leadership, including work involving clinical development, regulatory approvals, commercial drug launches and strategic transactions.
Most recently, he served as chief legal officer at enGene Therapeutics. He previously held the same position at Obsidian Therapeutics.
Before joining Obsidian, Giguere was vice president and general counsel at Chiasma, where he oversaw legal affairs, compliance and human resources. He also supported the regulatory approval and commercial launch of the company’s acromegaly treatment and participated in its subsequent acquisition.
Earlier, Giguere served as deputy general counsel at Karyopharm Therapeutics, where he supported the approval and commercial launch of a treatment for multiple myeloma.
He also worked as senior securities and governance counsel at Boston Scientific and began his legal career practicing business law at Goodwin Procter.
Giguere holds a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Northeastern University.
The executive appointments come as Caldera prepares for a proposed combination with Synlogic, Inc. (OTC: SYBX), a transaction intended to take the privately held biotechnology company public.
Under the previously announced agreement, Caldera and Synlogic plan to combine through an all-stock transaction involving a newly formed company.
Following the merger, the combined business is expected to operate under the Caldera Therapeutics name and seek a listing on the NYSE American exchange under the proposed ticker symbol CALD.
Caldera has also secured commitments for an expanded concurrent private placement expected to generate approximately $278 million in gross proceeds. The financing involves a group of healthcare-focused institutional investors and mutual funds.
The proposed merger and financing are expected to close by early 2027.
Completion remains subject to customary closing conditions, including shareholder approvals from both companies and the effectiveness of a registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission covering the securities to be issued in the transaction.
The transactions would provide Caldera with access to public capital markets as it advances the clinical development of CLD-423, although the merger and financing have not yet been completed.
