Experienced executive will focus on driving business development, strategic partnerships, corporate and portfolio strategy, and commercialization planning

SOUTH RIDING, Va., Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences and healthcare organizations, has announced the placement of Jeffrey S. Kasten as Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Vertero Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company breaking barriers in neurodegenerative disease treatment.

In his new role, Kasten is responsible for driving business development, strategic partnerships, corporate and portfolio strategy, and commercialization planning. His leadership will support the advancement of the company's pipeline of therapies focused on neurodegenerative diseases, with its lead program for Parkinson's disease, VT-5006, currently in a Phase 1 clinical study.

Kasten brings more than two decades of experience in the life sciences industry spanning corporate strategy, portfolio strategy, and business development across several leading biopharmaceutical organizations. He spent the past eight years at Sage Therapeutics, most recently as Vice President, Corporate/Portfolio Strategy & Business Development, where he helped shape enterprise strategy, optimize portfolio decisions, and advance key external growth initiatives. Prior to that, Kasten held senior commercial and strategic marketing roles during his 11-year tenure at Biogen. He also spent five years as Manager and Senior Manager at Putnam Associates and seven years in a variety of roles at Bain & Company.

"Jeffrey Kasten brings a deep and diversified business development and strategic management skill set to Vertero as the company expands its portfolio of therapies designed to help physicians better manage neurodegenerative diseases and help patients live longer, more productive lives," said Sona Stroud, Senior Vice President, Executive Search, and Partner at Slone Partners. "He will be an excellent addition to the company's leadership team and a valuable partner in its efforts to develop new partnerships and execute successful new product rollouts."

"I am thrilled to welcome Jeff to the Vertero team. His strategic acumen and track record of successfully cultivating partnerships and advancing pipeline growth are impressive and highly relevant to our mission," said Stewart Campbell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vertero. "Jeff is not only a great cultural addition to our team, he also brings an important perspective to help sharpen our strategic development focus as we work to make an impact on patients and their families affected by neurodegenerative diseases."

Kasten holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.S. from the University of Vermont.

ABOUT VERTERO
Vertero Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company pioneering science beyond the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases at their source. Vertero's development pipeline of differentiated therapies targets the peripheral nervous system to delay onset and slow progression of challenging conditions such as Parkinson's disease. The company's lead program currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial is VT-5006, designed to precisely treat a validated target in the gut that feeds the protein aggregation and inflammation implicated in Parkinson's disease. The company also has an asset targeting bile acid dysregulation in early development for undisclosed indications. For more information, visit www.vertero.com or LinkedIn.

ABOUT SLONE PARTNERS
Celebrating its 25th year, Slone Partners is a premier executive search and talent advisory firm delivering visionary leaders and fractional talent who build and scale amazing life sciences and healthcare organizations. With a nationwide presence and global reach, we specialize in discovering and placing innovative leaders, including world-class Board, C-Suite, and upper management professionals. To learn more about Slone Partners' value proposition and our many success stories, visit https://www.slonepartners.com or call 888.784.3422.

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SOURCE Slone Partners