Hossein Ghanbari, Ph.D.
Keynote Speaker.
Hossein A. Ghanbari, Ph.D. is a co-founder of Panacea Pharmaceuticals and now serves as its Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer, and as Chairman of the Board. Dr. Ghanbari began his career in the private sector 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 which 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.