Synthekine Appoints Biotechnology Veteran Dr. Susan M. Molineaux as CEO to Lead Next Phase of Oncology Drug Development
Synthekine, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing precision cytokine therapeutics for cancer and immune-mediated diseases, has announced the appointment of Susan M. Molineaux, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer. The leadership transition comes at a pivotal stage in the company’s evolution as it advances its lead therapeutic candidate, STK-012, into late-stage clinical development for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Dr. Molineaux succeeds Debanjan Ray, who has served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer since Synthekine was founded seven years ago. Ray will remain involved with the organization as an advisor, helping ensure a smooth leadership transition while continuing to support the company’s long-term strategic objectives.
The appointment reflects Synthekine’s focus on strengthening its executive leadership with experienced biotechnology professionals capable of guiding late-stage clinical programs, regulatory strategy, corporate growth, and eventual commercialization.
Leadership Transition Marks a New Chapter
The announcement represents an important milestone for Synthekine as the company moves from platform innovation toward advanced clinical execution.
Since its inception, Synthekine has built a proprietary cytokine engineering platform designed to create next-generation immune therapies with improved precision and reduced toxicity. Under Ray’s leadership, the company progressed from early scientific research to clinical development, culminating in the advancement of STK-012 into a global randomized Phase 2 clinical study.
As the company prepares for increasingly complex clinical, regulatory, and operational activities, the Board determined that additional executive leadership experience in late-stage oncology development would position Synthekine for continued success.
Chairman John Orwin welcomed Dr. Molineaux, noting that her extensive background in biotechnology leadership and oncology drug development will play an important role in guiding the company’s next phase of growth.
According to Orwin, her experience leading biotechnology companies through advanced stages of development aligns closely with Synthekine’s evolving priorities as it seeks to bring innovative immunotherapies to patients with significant unmet medical needs.
A Proven Biotechnology Executive
Dr. Susan M. Molineaux brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience across biotechnology companies focused on oncology and precision medicine.
Throughout her career, she has successfully founded companies, advanced multiple therapeutic pipelines, managed public biotechnology organizations, raised capital, and overseen clinical development programs spanning early research through late-stage trials.
Her appointment provides Synthekine with a leader possessing extensive experience navigating the scientific, operational, financial, and regulatory challenges associated with developing innovative cancer therapies.
Dr. Molineaux expressed enthusiasm about joining Synthekine during what she described as a defining period in the company’s history.
She noted that the company’s scientific team has established a strong research foundation while creating a promising development pathway for STK-012.
She also emphasized her commitment to helping guide the organization through advanced clinical development while working toward delivering a new therapeutic option for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who currently have limited treatment choices.
Extensive Leadership Across Biotechnology
Before joining Synthekine, Dr. Molineaux most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Para Therapeutics, Inc., leading the company from April 2023 through July 2025.
Prior to establishing Para Therapeutics, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Calithera Biosciences, a biotechnology company she co-founded in 2010.
During her tenure at Calithera, she oversaw the company’s transformation from an early-stage startup into a publicly traded biotechnology organization.
Following its initial public offering in 2014, Calithera advanced multiple oncology and immunology programs through clinical development while expanding strategic partnerships and research capabilities.
She remained at the helm of Calithera until March 2023, demonstrating long-term leadership throughout periods of rapid scientific and organizational growth.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Molineaux co-founded Proteolix, where she initially served as Chief Scientific Officer before later assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Proteolix successfully developed innovative oncology therapies before being acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2009, representing another major milestone in her executive career.
Broad Scientific and Industry Experience
Beyond her CEO roles, Dr. Molineaux has held numerous senior scientific leadership positions across the biotechnology industry.
These include serving as Vice President of Biology at Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Vice President of Biology at Praelux, and Vice President of Drug Development at Praecis Pharmaceuticals.
These diverse leadership experiences have provided her with expertise across multiple disciplines, including drug discovery, translational research, clinical development, regulatory strategy, and corporate operations.
Her scientific background enables her to bridge the gap between innovative laboratory research and successful clinical application, an increasingly valuable capability within modern biotechnology companies developing complex immunotherapies.
Strong Academic Foundation
Dr. Molineaux’s scientific career is supported by an impressive academic background.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Smith College before completing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University.
Following her doctoral studies, she completed postdoctoral research at Columbia University, further strengthening her expertise in molecular biology and biomedical research.
This combination of rigorous scientific training and decades of executive leadership provides a strong foundation for leading biotechnology organizations focused on cutting-edge therapeutic innovation.
Significant Board and Investment Experience
In addition to her executive responsibilities, Dr. Molineaux has accumulated extensive experience serving on corporate boards and advising life sciences investors.
She currently serves as Executive Chair of Seranova Bio while also holding a position on the Board of Directors at Geron Corporation.
Previously, she served on the boards of Repare Therapeutics, Cyteir Therapeutics, and Theravance Biopharma, contributing strategic oversight across a broad range of oncology and biotechnology programs.
She also serves as a Scientific Advisor to Lightstone Ventures, a life sciences investment firm supporting innovative biotechnology companies.
This combination of governance, investment, and executive leadership experience provides valuable strategic perspective as Synthekine continues expanding its clinical programs.
Advancing STK-012 for Lung Cancer
The leadership transition comes as Synthekine advances its lead therapeutic candidate, STK-012, through clinical development.
STK-012 is an engineered alpha/beta-biased interleukin-2 (IL-2) partial agonist, representing a next-generation approach to cytokine-based cancer immunotherapy.
Interleukin-2 has long been recognized as a powerful immune-stimulating molecule capable of activating T cells and natural killer cells involved in cancer immunity.
However, traditional IL-2 therapies have historically been limited by significant toxicities and narrow therapeutic windows.
Synthekine’s proprietary cytokine engineering platform seeks to overcome these limitations by modifying IL-2 signaling in ways that selectively enhance beneficial immune responses while reducing adverse effects.
The company’s alpha/beta-biased approach is designed to improve therapeutic precision and expand treatment opportunities across multiple cancer indications.
Focus on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
STK-012 is currently being evaluated for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer worldwide.
Although recent advances in targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved outcomes for many patients, a substantial proportion continue to experience disease progression or fail to respond adequately to existing treatments.
Consequently, there remains considerable demand for innovative immunotherapies capable of improving clinical outcomes while maintaining manageable safety profiles.
Synthekine believes STK-012 may offer an important new treatment approach by selectively activating immune pathways involved in anti-tumor responses.
The ongoing global randomized Phase 2 clinical study represents an important milestone in determining the therapy’s potential efficacy and safety.
Recognizing Debanjan Ray’s Contributions
The leadership announcement also recognizes the significant achievements of outgoing CEO Debanjan Ray.
As Synthekine’s founder, Ray played a central role in establishing the company’s scientific vision and building its proprietary cytokine engineering platform.
Over the past seven years, he guided the organization from its earliest research activities through multiple stages of growth, helping transform innovative scientific concepts into clinical-stage therapeutic candidates.
Under his leadership, the company established strategic collaborations with leading pharmaceutical organizations, expanded its research capabilities, and advanced STK-012 into an international randomized Phase 2 clinical trial.
Chairman John Orwin praised Ray’s vision, leadership, and commitment, emphasizing that his contributions have been instrumental in shaping the company’s success.
Continuing as Advisor
Although stepping down as Chief Executive Officer, Ray will remain actively engaged with Synthekine as an advisor.
His continued involvement is expected to support leadership continuity while preserving valuable institutional knowledge throughout the executive transition.
Ray expressed pride in the company’s accomplishments, noting that the team successfully transformed an ambitious scientific vision into therapies now being evaluated in clinical trials.
He also highlighted the organization’s pioneering work in cytokine engineering, successful pharmaceutical partnerships, and the advancement of STK-012 into randomized clinical evaluation.
Looking ahead, Ray expressed confidence in the company’s future under Dr. Molineaux’s leadership and indicated he looks forward to supporting a seamless transition while watching Synthekine continue advancing precision cytokine therapeutics.
Positioned for the Next Phase of Growth
The appointment of Dr. Susan M. Molineaux signals Synthekine’s readiness to enter the next stage of its corporate and clinical evolution. With decades of experience leading biotechnology companies through advanced oncology drug development, public market growth, strategic transactions, and clinical execution, she brings the expertise needed to guide the company as it advances STK-012 toward later-stage clinical development.
Supported by a strong scientific platform, an experienced management team, and continued advisory involvement from founder Debanjan Ray, Synthekine is well positioned to continue developing innovative cytokine therapies designed to improve cancer treatment. As the company advances its lead program for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and explores broader applications of its precision cytokine platform, the new leadership marks the beginning of an important chapter focused on translating scientific innovation into meaningful therapeutic advances for patients with limited treatment options.
About Synthekine
Synthekine is harnessing the potential of cytokine therapeutics to develop selective immunotherapies designed to improve the treatment paradigm of cancer and inflammatory disease. Using insights on cytokine structure and function, the company engineers therapeutics designed to unlock the full efficacy potential of cytokines while avoiding their associated toxicities. Synthekine is applying principles of cytokine partial agonism and immunological specificity across multiple therapeutic areas to create a broad and deep pipeline of product candidates. These novel immunotherapies include modified cytokines and surrogate cytokine agonists.