She takes the helm as E-Scape nears clinical development for its lead programme, which seeks to treat lysosomal storage disorders that impact the central nervous system.
E-Scape's lead programme, an S1P5 receptor agonist for neuronopathic lysosomal storage disorders, will be in clinical development in 2019.
In an agreement announced in June, E-Scape obtained worldwide rights to the small-molecule program from AbbVie, broadening a pipeline that also includes a Parkinson's program targeting LRRK2 and an Alzheimer's program targeting ApoE4.
Prior to joining E-Scape, Smith served as president and chief executive officer of Nuredis, a biotechnology company developing small-molecule therapies for nucleotide repeat disorders such as Huntington's disease.