Markus Renschler, CEO of Light Horse Therapeutics
Dr. Markus Renschler is a seasoned biotech entrepreneur with a track record of building successful biopharmaceutical companies and leading high-performing teams. He brings deep expertise in capital formation—both private and public—as well as in the development and commercialization of blockbuster oncology drugs.
In August 2024, Dr. Renschler became CEO of Light Horse Therapeutics, a pioneering company applying precision gene editing to small molecule drug discovery. Light Horse’s platform uncovers cryptic, chemically accessible functional domains within disease-relevant targets, enabling the development of potentially first-in-class therapeutics. In December 2024, he led the company into a multi-target collaboration with Novartis to develop novel therapies using Light Horse’s platform.
Previously, Dr. Renschler served as President and CEO of Cyteir Therapeutics (2018–2024), steering it from a private discovery-stage startup to a publicly traded clinical-stage company. Under his leadership, Cyteir raised over $300 million across private financings and an IPO in 2021.
A board-certified medical oncologist, Dr. Renschler has over 25 years of experience spanning basic cancer research to regulatory approval and commercial launches. He played key roles in the development or launch of several major oncology therapies, including Imbruvica® (ibrutinib), Revlimid® (lenalidomide), Pomalyst® (pomalidomide), Vidaza® (azacitidine), and Abraxane® (nab-paclitaxel). Prior to Cyteir, he held leadership roles in clinical R&D, project leadership, business development, and medical affairs at Celgene, Pharmion, and Pharmacyclics, contributing to global registrations and launch strategies across both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.
Dr. Renschler completed a postdoctoral fellowship in lymphoma immunotherapy with Dr. Ronald Levy at Stanford University. He earned his MD from Stanford University and BA from Princeton University, and served as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology) at Stanford until 2015, where he taught and treated patients in the lymphoma program.
