Return to main press room page Therion Names Mark Leuchtenberger, Former Vice President of Biogen International, as President and CEO -- Dennis L. Panicali, Ph.D., Appointed to Newly Created Position of Chief Scientific Officer-- Cambridge, MA, March 27, 2002 -- Therion Biologics Corporation, a leader in the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines, today announced the appointment of Mark Leuchtenberger as the company's new President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Leuchtenberger joins Therion with extensive experience in biopharmaceutical marketing, product commercialization and business development. During his 11 year career at Biogen, he managed the North American launch of Avonex® and led the company's successful efforts to secure U.S. and European market leadership in the multiple sclerosis field. Dennis L. Panicali, who founded Therion Biologics and has served as President and CEO for the last 11 years, will continue to play a key role as the company's first Chief Scientific Officer. He will also remain a member of Therion's Board of Directors. "Mark brings to Therion an outstanding depth of expertise in product development, regulatory submissions, global marketing and sales. As the company moves aggressively into late-stage product development and commercialization, his experience and skills will be invaluable in guiding this transformation," said Dr. Panicali. "In addition, Mark's leadership in these areas affords me the opportunity to direct more actively the scientific advancement and expansion of our pipeline." "Dennis has successfully built Therion's promising pox virus vector technology into one of the strongest and most clinically advanced cancer vaccine platforms in the field," commented Mr. Leuchtenberger. "With lead therapeutics for colorectal and prostate cancer moving toward Phase 3 trials, Therion now stands at a critical juncture in its evolution. I am eager to integrate my commercial experience and knowledge with the company's outstanding scientific strengths. I believe all of us at Therion are positioned to have a significant impact on cancer treatment and patient care in the coming years." In his most recent role at Biogen, Mr. Leuchtenberger served as Vice President, International where he led all commercial operations outside of North America. He joined the company in 1990 as Product Manager and served as Program Executive for Amevive™, until assuming Avonex program leadership in 1993. In this role, Mr. Leuchtenberger was responsible for managing the late-stage development, registration, marketing and North American launch of Avonex. During his tenure at Biogen, he held several senior positions, including Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development where he oversaw the company's global market, licensing and strategic partnership activities. Among his many successes in this role, Mr. Leuchtenberger quadrupled U.S. sales of Avonex and extended market leadership from North America into Europe. Prior to Biogen, he worked as a Senior Consultant at Bain and Company and specialized in healthcare products and services. Mr. Leuchtenberger received an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and a B.A. from Wake Forest University. About Therion Biologics Therion Biologics Corporation is focused on the development of therapeutic vaccines for cancer and preventive vaccines for AIDS. Therion's most advanced product, PROSTVAC-VF™, is currently in Phase II studies for prostate cancer. Under the terms of a strategic collaboration with Aventis Pasteur, a second product, ALVAC-CEA/B7.1, will move into pivotal clinical trials in the next two years for colorectal cancer. The company also has a broad pipeline of vaccines in early clinical development for treatment of major cancers, including breast cancer, melanoma and other solid tumors. In addition to Aventis, Therion's partners include the National Cancer Institute and a network of leading clinical institutions around the world. Therion is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ### Back to the top Main Page News Release Archive Media Coverage Copyright © 2001 by Therion Biologics Corporation.