Zurich, Switzerland – December 11, 2025 – Santersus AG today announced two senior leadership appointments that strengthen the company’s executive and governance capabilities as it advances its NucleoCapture™ toward pivotal clinical development.
James Ladtkow Appointed as Chief Executive Officer
Santersus has appointed James Ladtkow as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ladtkow (BSME, MBA) brings more than 35 years of experience in medical technology, device engineering, and product development, including nearly three decades at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, where he held senior leadership positions overseeing global product realization, engineering, and manufacturing operations. Throughout his career, he has led cross-functional teams responsible for the design, validation, and commercialization of medical technologies generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue.
His appointment comes as Santersus enters a new phase of growth, with pivotal clinical trials in sepsis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) set to begin in both the United States and Europe. These programs build upon the company’s receipt of two U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designations for NucleoCapture™—its patent-protected, extracorporeal blood purification technology designed for the selective removal of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) from patient plasma. The Board noted that Mr. Ladtkow’s extensive experience in engineering management, product innovation, and regulatory implementation will be instrumental in advancing Santersus’s transition into late-stage clinical development and market expansion.
David Onions Joins Board of Directors
Santersus is also pleased to announce the appointment of David Onions, PhD, MRCVS, FMedSci, DVMS (hon), FRSA, FRSE, to its Board of Directors. David previously served as Professor of Veterinary Pathology and Director of the Leukaemia Research Fund’s Virus Centre at the University of Glasgow. He founded two biotechnology companies—Q-One Biotech and BioOutsource—which were acquired for a combined $100M, and later became CMO of Invitrogen, where he participated in the leveraged buyout of the BioReliance division that was subsequently acquired for $350M and is now part of Merck KGaA.
He has contributed to major national and international advisory bodies, including the UK Advisory Committee on Release of GMOs, the FDA Xenotransplantation Advisory Committee, the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Biological Standardization, and the UK Medical Research Council Stem Cell Foundation, and has advised leading global life science companies such as Novartis, Baxter, and Merck KGaA. Drawing on his long-standing experience in biotechnology, biosafety, and regulatory strategy, David will provide strategic guidance as Santersus advances NucleoCapture™ through late-stage clinical development and global regulatory pathways.
About Santersus AG
Santersus AG is a biotechnology company developing NucleoCapture™, a novel, patent-protected extracorporeal blood purification technology designed to selectively remove cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NucleoCapture™ has received two U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designations: one for the treatment of sepsis and one for systemic lupus erythematosus. Santersus is advancing a diversified clinical pipeline across sepsis, systemic lupus erythematosus, solid-organ transplantation (liver and lung), and Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information, please visit www.santersus.com