Rectify Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointment of Constantine Chinoporos as Executive Chairman
- The appointment comes as Rectify transitions into a clinical-stage company following the recent initiation of the Phase 1 study of RTY-406, its lead program for hepatobiliary diseases.
- Rectify is developing oral medicines designed to rectify the dysfunction of membrane bound proteins, with the goal of treating the underlying cause of serious diseases rather than simply managing symptoms.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rectify Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company advancing Positive Functional Modulators (PFMs), a novel class of oral small molecules designed to restore and enhance membrane protein function, today announced the appointment of Constantine Chinoporos as Executive Chairman of the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.
Mr. Chinoporos brings more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience spanning business development, corporate strategy and commercialization. His appointment strengthens Rectify's leadership team as the company enters its next phase of growth following the advancement of its lead program, RTY-406, into clinical development.
"With RTY-406 having recently entered the clinic, Rectify is now poised to positively impact patients suffering from hepatobiliary diseases, which is an area of tremendous unmet need," said Mr. Chinoporos. "Given its unique dual mechanism of action, RTY-406 offers the potential for disease modifying therapy for hepatobiliary diseases, including primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Additional PFM programs in our pipeline also offer the opportunity to impact a variety of disease areas beyond the liver, as highlighted by our strategic research and licensing agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to accelerate the development of treatments for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and other conditions. I am honored to join at this pivotal time, and I look forward to leveraging my background and years of biopharmaceutical experience to help write the next chapter for Rectify."
Jason Rhodes, board member and former Chairman of the Board of Directors said, "Constantine is a proven industry leader in the hepatobiliary space and beyond who will drive Rectify forward working closely with the management team and board. We are excited to welcome him to the company."
"I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible team that has pioneered the discovery and development of small molecule PFMs and the successful transition we’ve made to a clinical stage organization as validated by the start of the Phase 1 trial with RTY-406," said Rajesh Devraj, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rectify Pharmaceuticals. "In this next phase of growth, as we drive towards clinical data in PSC and hepatobiliary diseases, I can think of no better addition to our team than Constantine."
Mr. Chinoporos served as Chief Business Officer of Albireo Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Ipsen in 2023 and currently serves as interim Chief Business Officer at enGene (NASDAQ:ENGN). Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at Applied Therapeutics until its acquisition by Cycle Pharmaceuticals in 2026.
In addition to his executive leadership roles, Mr. Chinoporos serves on the Board of Directors of Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN). He previously served on the Board of Directors of Elektrofi, where he chaired the Compensation Committee until the company's acquisition by Halozyme Therapeutics in 2025. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Business Officer at Boston Pharmaceuticals and held senior leadership positions at Sanofi, Genzyme and Eli Lilly.
Mr. Chinoporos holds an M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and a B.A. in History from Cornell University.
About RTY-406
RTY-406 is an orally administered ABCB4 and BSEP dual-targeted Positive Functional Modulator (PFM) in clinical development for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). RTY-406’s dual acting mechanism-of-action uniquely targets abnormal bile composition and reduced bile flow, two core pathophysiological drivers of PSC. In a preclinical model of PSC, RTY-406 demonstrated efficacy across multiple disease-relevant endpoints, including inflammation, cholangitis, cholestasis, and fibrosis. RTY-406 has pipeline-in-a-pill potential across multiple hepatobiliary diseases and the opportunity to become a first-in-class disease-modifying therapy for PSC.
About Rectify Therapeutics
Rectify is advancing Positive Functional Modulators (PFMs), a novel class of oral, small molecules that restore and enhance membrane protein function to address the underlying cause of serious diseases. Rectify’s PFMs have potential to modulate the activity of wild-type and mutated membrane-bound proteins, a historically difficult challenge with a small molecule approach. The Company’s breakthrough product platform enables efficient and rapid discovery of first- and best-in-class small molecule therapies with the potential to address membrane protein dysfunction for treatment of rare and common diseases, including liver, cardio-renal-metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases. For more information, please visit www.rectifypharma.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.
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