ANN ARBOR, Mich. & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Penrose TherapeuTx, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative small-molecule therapies for the treatment of advanced cancers, today announced that Mark de Souza has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Mr. de Souza brings decades of leadership experience in supporting advancements in healthcare through initiatives with some of the nation’s leading scientific research and cancer organizations including the Lynn Sage Foundation, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation.
“With our early-stage clinical research program for Penrose’s novel pipeline on the horizon, Mark will provide Penrose with the necessary structure and leadership needed to see our company’s vision and commitment to patients brought to life,” said James J. Jaber M.D., Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Penrose TherapeuTx. “His deep experience in navigating regulated industries like healthcare, coupled with his personal passion to improve cancer-related outcomes, will be instrumental in helping us bring potentially transformative therapies to patients who need them the most.”
Mr. de Souza has demonstrated success in building and leading cross-functional teams to meet and exceed business goals and brings decades of business development, finance, corporate management, private equity and capital raising experience. Throughout his career, Mr. de Souza has led fundraising initiatives for companies totaling more than $250 million. Most recently as CEO of Revolution Global, a leading multi-state cannabis health and wellness company, Mr. de Souza raised over $100 million in investments which fueled innovative research into commercialization in the complex and highly regulated cannabis health and wellness industry. Revolution Global achieved market leadership and launched several successful health-focused products under his leadership.
“I am honored to join Penrose and eager to apply my experience in leading businesses from novel innovations to marketed products that impact patient care,” said Mark de Souza, Chief Executive Officer of Penrose TherapeuTx. “I believe this company has the potential to transform the way we treat cancer, and there is no greater motivation for me than seeing and helping the Penrose TherapeuTx team rise up to the challenge.”
As a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) since 1992, Mr. de Souza brings established expertise in risk management, having managed over $1 billion/day in notional transactions, and valuation to Penrose TherapeuTx to help the company reach its full potential. He also served as President of County Cork, LLC, a family office-owned investment company specializing in all senior management issues relating to asset allocation, risk analysis and business development.
Mr. de Souza provides a keen understanding of legislation and regulatory frameworks to Penrose TherapeuTx through his extensive lobbying and government relations experience, having served as a member of the CME Political Action Committee, participating in the Congressional lobbying efforts on legislative and regulatory issues affecting the Futures industry. He also served on the board of directors of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's agriculture transition committee, advising on issues related to the state's agriculture industry, including Medical & Recreational Cannabis and Industrial Hemp.
About Penrose TherapeuTx
Penrose TherapeuTx is a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative small-molecule therapies for the treatment of advanced cancers. Penrose has developed a proprietary, chemistry-driven research platform focused on cancer mitochondrial metabolism and signaling. Pre-clinical research has demonstrated strong in-vivo efficacy signals for the company’s lead candidate, which is expected to undergo investigational new drug application (IND) enabling studies in the first quarter of 2021. Initiation of clinical trials in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer and Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer are expected to follow in 2022. Learn more at https://penrosetherapeutx.com.