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Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) reshapes board with two new independents and one exit

Filing Impact
(High)
Filing Sentiment
(Neutral)
Form Type
8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Indaptus Therapeutics announced several board changes. The Board appointed Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang as independent Class II directors, effective April 22, 2026, with terms expiring at the 2026 annual stockholder meeting. Both bring capital markets, biotechnology, intellectual property, and life sciences expertise.

Each new director will receive an annual cash retainer of $30,000, payable quarterly, plus reimbursement of reasonable expenses, under Independent Director Agreements. They also entered Indemnification Agreements under Delaware law. Tim Ruan joins the Audit Committee and is designated an “audit committee financial expert,” while Dr. Zhang joins the Nominating Committee.

On April 22, 2026, director Matthew McMurdo resigned from the Board, and his resignation was stated not to result from any disagreement regarding operations, policies, or practices. The Board remains classified into three staggered classes, with Class II and Class III terms expiring in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

Positive

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Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
Effective date of new directors April 22, 2026 Appointment of Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang as independent directors
Annual director cash retainer $30,000 Per independent director, payable quarterly under Director Agreements
Board class length Three-year terms Board divided into three classes with staggered terms
Class II term end 2026 annual meeting Term expiration for Class II directors including Ruan and Zhang
Class III term end 2027 annual meeting Term expiration for Class III directors Junyi Dai and Qinglai Lu
Age of Tim Ruan 40 years Background detail on newly appointed independent director
Age of Dr. Yi Zhang 48 years Background detail on newly appointed independent director
independent directors financial
"appointed Mr. Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang as independent directors of the Board"
Members of a company’s board who do not have significant business, family, or financial ties to the company and are not part of its management; they are chosen to provide impartial oversight of strategy, financial reporting, executive pay and risk. They matter to investors because independent directors act like an objective referee, helping ensure decisions favor shareholders’ long-term interests rather than insiders, which can strengthen trust and reduce the chance of mismanagement or conflicts of interest.
audit committee financial expert financial
"The Board has determined that Mr. Ruan qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert”"
A person on a company’s board who has deep knowledge of accounting, financial reporting and auditing, able to understand and question the books, controls and audit work like a trained mechanic inspecting an engine. Investors care because that expertise helps spot errors, weaknesses or misleading statements early, improving the likelihood that financial reports are accurate and reducing the risk of surprises that can hurt a company’s value.
Indemnification Agreements regulatory
"the Company entered into independent director agreements and indemnification agreements"
Indemnification agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to pay for losses, legal costs, or damages another party might face — like a friend promising to cover repair bills if their dog breaks your window. For investors, these agreements matter because they determine who ultimately bears financial and legal risk, affecting a company’s potential liabilities, cash flow needs, and the willingness of executives or partners to take on roles or deals.
Nominating Committee financial
"Dr. Zhang was appointed to serve as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Board"
A nominating committee is a small group of company directors tasked with finding, evaluating and recommending people to serve on the board. Think of it as a hiring panel that chooses the team responsible for guiding the business and holding management accountable. Investors care because the committee’s choices shape the board’s experience, independence and judgment, which directly affect strategy, oversight, leadership succession and the protection of shareholder interests.
emerging growth company regulatory
"Emerging growth company"
An emerging growth company is a recently public or smaller public firm that qualifies for temporary, lighter regulatory and disclosure rules to reduce the cost and effort of being public. For investors, it means the company may provide less historical financial detail and face fewer reporting requirements than larger firms, so it can grow more quickly but also carries higher uncertainty—like buying a promising early-stage product with fewer user reviews.
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): April 22, 2026

 

INDAPTUS THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   001-40652   86-3158720

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

3 Columbus Circle 15th Floor

New York, New York

  10019
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(646) 427-2727

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
   
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
   
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol   Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value   INDP   Nasdaq Capital Market

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

Appointment of Directors

 

On April 17, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Indaptus Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Mr. Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang as independent directors of the Board, effective April 22, 2026.

 

Tim Ruan, 40, is a seasoned financial executive with extensive experience in capital markets, investment banking, and the biotechnology sector. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Ocumension Therapeutics, where he oversees financial management, risk, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations. His career includes senior leadership roles at premier global financial institutions, including serving as an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC and a Vice President at Morgan Stanley Asia Limited. Throughout his career, Mr. Ruan has successfully executed numerous high-profile IPOs and cross-border transactions for leading healthcare and technology companies. He holds a Master of Science in Biotechnology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales.

 

Yi Zhang (Johnny), 48, is an expert in intellectual property and life sciences, with a distinguished career spanning both law and scientific research. As a Partner at JunHe, he focuses on U.S.-China cross-border intellectual property matters, patent portfolio management, and freedom-to-operate analyses. Dr. Zhang has extensive experience advising on intellectual property diligence for strategic investments and mergers and acquisitions across the life sciences, chemistry, and robotics industries. Before transitioning to law, he spent over a decade in scientific research, specializing in neuronal stem cell differentiation. He is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice law in California, Illinois, and Texas. Dr. Zhang earned his Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Iowa State University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Georgetown University Law Center.

 

The Board has determined that Mr. Ruan and Dr. Zhang are each independent directors as defined in the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. In connection with their appointments, the Company entered into independent director agreements (the “Director Agreements”) and indemnification agreements (the “Indemnification Agreements”) with each of Mr. Ruan and Dr. Zhang, effective April 22, 2026. Pursuant to the Director Agreements, each director will receive an annual cash retainer of $30,000, payable quarterly, and reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with their service as directors.

 

The Indemnification Agreements provide that the Company will indemnify each director to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their service as directors to the Company. The foregoing summaries of the Director Agreements and the Indemnification Agreements do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such agreements, forms of which are filed as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Report”) and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Except as disclosed in this Report, there are no arrangements or understandings between either of Mr. Ruan or Dr. Zhang, on the one hand, and any other person, on the other hand, pursuant to which either was selected as a director. Neither Mr. Ruan nor Dr. Zhang has a family relationship with any of the Company’s directors or executive officers. Furthermore, neither director has any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction that would require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

 

 

 

 

The Board is divided into three classes of directors, with each class serving staggered three-year terms. Mr. Ruan and Dr. Zhang have been appointed as Class II directors, with terms expiring at the Company’s 2026 annual meeting of stockholders. Junyi Dai and Qinglai Lu, who were previously appointed to the Board on March 18, 2026 and April 8, 2026, respectively, serve as Class III directors, with terms expiring at the Company’s 2027 annual meeting of the stockholders.

 

Committee Appointments

 

Effective as of their respective appointment dates to the Board:

 

Mr. Ruan was appointed to serve as a member of the Audit Committee of the Board. The Board has determined that Mr. Ruan qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

 

Dr. Zhang was appointed to serve as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Board.

 

Resignation of Directors and Officers

 

On April 22, 2026, Matthew McMurdo resigned as a director of the Company. Mr. McMurdo’s resignation did not result from any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies, or practices.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

Number

  Description
10.1   Form of Independent Director Agreement
10.2   Form of Indemnification Agreement
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: April 23, 2026

 

  INDAPTUS THERAPEUTICS, INC.
     
  By: /s/ Junyi Dai
  Name: Junyi Dai
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

FAQ

What board changes did Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) disclose in this 8-K?

Indaptus Therapeutics added two independent directors, Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang, as Class II directors effective April 22, 2026, and reported the resignation of director Matthew McMurdo, which was not due to any disagreement over the company’s operations, policies, or practices.

Who are the new independent directors joining the Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) board?

The new independent directors are financial executive Tim Ruan and intellectual property and life sciences expert Dr. Yi Zhang. Ruan brings capital markets and biotech finance experience, while Zhang contributes cross-border IP, patent portfolio, and scientific research expertise relevant to life sciences and related industries.

What compensation will the new Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) directors receive?

Each new independent director will receive an annual cash retainer of $30,000, paid quarterly, plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. This compensation is provided under Independent Director Agreements that also outline their service terms and is typical for non-employee board roles in public companies.

Which board committees will the new Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) directors serve on?

Tim Ruan will serve on the Audit Committee, and the board has determined he qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert.” Dr. Yi Zhang will serve on the Nominating Committee. These assignments align Ruan with financial oversight and Zhang with board nomination and governance matters.

Did the resigning Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) director report any disagreement with the company?

The filing states that director Matthew McMurdo resigned on April 22, 2026, and that his resignation did not result from any disagreement with the company regarding operations, policies, or practices. This indicates a routine departure rather than one driven by a disclosed governance or policy dispute.

How is the Indaptus Therapeutics (INDP) board structured after these changes?

The board is divided into three classes serving staggered three-year terms. Tim Ruan and Dr. Yi Zhang are appointed as Class II directors with terms expiring at the 2026 annual meeting, while previously appointed directors Junyi Dai and Qinglai Lu serve as Class III directors with terms expiring at the 2027 annual meeting.

Filing Exhibits & Attachments

5 documents