Laura Shawver, PhD

Dr. Laura Shawver is a biotech executive with more than 30 years of experience in the Biopharma industry. She is currently President, CEO and Director of Capstan Therapeutics. Prior to joining Capstan she was Chief Executive Officer and Director of Silverback Therapeutics (acquired by ARS Pharma) from April 2020 – September 2022 and President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Synthorx, Inc (acquired by Sanofi in January 2020) from 2017-2020. Previously, Dr. Shawver was CEO and Director for Cleave Biosciences from 2011 – 2017, Entrepreneur in Residence for 5AM Ventures from 2010 – 2011, CEO and Director of Phenomix from 2002 – 2010, President of SUGEN Inc (acquired by Pharmacia) from 2000 after holding various positions since 1992, and a scientist at Berlex Biosciences, formerly known as Triton Biosciences, from 1989 – 1992.

Following her own diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2006, Dr. Shawver founded the non-profit The Clearity Foundation (merged with OCRA in 2025) to help women prioritize treatment options based on her individual genomic analyses. She received her PhD in Pharmacology (1984) and a BS degree in Microbiology (1979), both from the University of Iowa.