Markus Renschler, M.D., is an accomplished biotech entrepreneur with a proven 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 transformative oncology drugs to Light Horse Therapeutics.
Markus joined Light Horse in August 2024 as Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the company launched a multi-target collaboration with Novartis in January 2025 to develop novel therapies using Light Horse’s drug discovery platform.
Previously, he served as President and CEO of Cyteir Therapeutics (2018–2024), where he led the company from a private discovery-stage startup to a publicly traded clinical-stage company. Under his leadership, Cyteir raised over $300 million through private financings and a successful IPO in 2021.
A board-certified medical oncologist, Markus has more than 25 years of experience as a scientific executive and global R&D leader, spanning basic cancer research to regulatory approval and commercial launches. He played pivotal 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.
Markus 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.