About Dr. Hossein A. Ghanbari

Dr. Hossein A. Ghanbari, CEO, President & Chief Scientific Officer, Panacea Pharmaceuticals Inc. Hossein A. Ghanbariis a co-founder of Panacea Pharmaceuticals and now serves as its CEO, President, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chairman of the Board.

The Company has three drug candidates for cancer (immunotherapy), one of which is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials, and another candidate for treating neural damage (treatment of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment). Panacea has developed diagnostic tests for prostate cancer (PC Detect®), breast cancer (BC DetectSM), lung cancer (LC Detect®), and colorectal cancer (CC DetectSM).

LC Detect was selected as one of 2007’s Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs by Timemagazine. Panacea also has a late-stage pre-clinical cancer imaging program to complete its integrated cancer management approach. Dr. Ghanbari began his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago, Ill., where he developed several pharmaceuticals and the first ever commercialized diagnostic test for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). He was part of the New Drug Application (NDA) team for Leupron, the very successful prostate cancer drug, as well as for Survanta, the current drug of choice for preventing and treating respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants.

He directed the Analytical sections of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for an antibody-based antiviral drug, and was a member of Abbott's Technical Advisory Board. Dr. Ghanbari was inducted into the prestigious honorary organization, the Volwiler Society, established by Abbott to recognize the company’s most distinguished and accomplished scientists. After nearly a decade with Abbott, Dr. Ghanbari left to form Molecular Geriatrics Corporation, (a biopharma company focused on developing drugs for neurodegenerative diseases) and served as its Senior Vice-President for R&D.


Subsequently, Dr. Ghanbari was instrumental in establishing Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation (NASDAQ: NYMX), and served as Senior Vice-President for R&D and Strategic Planning as well as a Director on its board. While with Nymox, he developed the first commercially available cerebral spinal fluid- and urine-based diagnostics tests for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and identified opportunities for complementary technologies that Nymox in-licensed, which together established the company’s international presence as a leader in AD diagnostics and therapeutics. Prior to entering private industry, Dr. Ghanbari held professorships at Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida, and Arya-Mehr University of Technology (now Sharif University).

He was also on the academic staff of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences as an Adjunct Professor. He currently serves as a Board member of the Gastric Cancer Foundation. Dr. Ghanbari received his bachelor of sciences degree, with distinction, from the American University in Beirut, and his master’s and doctorate degrees in Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University. He has authored over 70 peer reviewed publications, and is an inventor on nearly 100 patents and patent applications worldwide.