# Stephen Rubino

> Stephen Rubino is the CEO of Sporos Bioventures, a Houston-based biotech that runs cancer drug development as a portfolio rather than a single bet. A Cornell-trained virologist with a Baruch MBA, he spent three decades in business development and commercial roles at Schering-Plough, Novartis, Celyad Oncology and Fortress Biotech before taking the helm at Sporos in 2022, where the lead program is SPR1, a next-generation TEAD inhibitor aimed at hard-to-drug cancers.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Sporos Bioventures
- **Organizations:** Sporos Bioventures, Sporos BioDiscovery, Celyad Oncology, Fortress Biotech, Novartis, Schering-Plough, Viracta Therapeutics, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Ph.D. in Virology, Cornell University, MBA, Baruch College
- **Known for:** Over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience across business development, licensing, marketing, commercial operations and strategic planning, Led business development and licensing for Novartis's Cell & Gene Therapy Unit, one of the most active deal areas in modern oncology, As CEO of Sporos Bioventures, advanced a portfolio approach to oncology drug development with lead TEAD inhibitor program SPR1

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Began career with roughly a decade at Schering-Plough leading global marketing efforts
- **2010s** — Global Head of Business Development & Licensing in the Cell & Gene Therapy Unit at Novartis
- **2010s-2020s** — Chief Business Officer at Celyad Oncology
- **2020s** — Entrepreneur In Residence at Fortress Biotech
- **2022** — Became Chief Executive Officer of Sporos Bioventures (September)

## Achievements

- Over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience across business development, licensing, marketing, commercial operations and strategic planning
- Led business development and licensing for Novartis's Cell & Gene Therapy Unit, one of the most active deal areas in modern oncology
- As CEO of Sporos Bioventures, advanced a portfolio approach to oncology drug development with lead TEAD inhibitor program SPR1
- Served on the boards of Viracta Therapeutics and Sermonix Pharmaceuticals

## Latest updates

- **2024-04** — Sporos BioDiscovery presented preclinical findings on SPR1, its next-generation TEAD inhibitor, at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024
- **2022-09** — Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sporos Bioventures

## Links

- Website: https://sporosbioventures.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-rubino-phd-mba-0390b715/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/stephen-rubino
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04