Our ability to deliver on our promise to develop novel therapies with high clinical value begins with our experienced, passionate team. Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., is led by a team of experienced pharmaceutical executives who share a common purpose: helping people affected by rare diseases. The team’s collective knowledge and unrivaled expertise in orphan drug development guides our research, development, and delivery of crucial therapies to patients who need them most.
Michael Minarich, M.B.A.
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Minarich is the Chief Executive Officer of Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., and is responsible for leading the company’s continued commitment to rare and ultra-rare disease therapies through registration, commercialization and life-cycle management of its proprietary research and development pipeline.
Prior to joining Leadiant in 2015, Mr. Minarich provided consulting services to start-up, early and mid-stage companies in the biosciences and specialty pharmaceutical industries. He spent the previous 20 years as an expatriate in Asia (Seoul), Canada (Montreal) and Europe (Brussels & Prague) as the Market Company President, Czech Republic, for Pharmacia Corporation and at legacy company, G.D. Searle / Monsanto, with increasing responsibilities in international marketing, business development, and general management.
Mr. Minarich received a Master of Business Administration in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona, a unit of Arizona State University.
Giuseppe Izzi
Vice President, Administration and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Izzi is the Vice President, Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Leadiant Biosciences, Inc. Mr. Izzi has more than 20 years of financial experience and was previously the Financial Director for Sigma-Tau España based in Madrid, Spain.
Prior to joining Leadiant, he was an executive director with a major accounting firm, providing consulting services in capital market transactions, acquisitions and audit. Mr. Izzi received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’.
Giuseppe D. Testa
Vice President, Product Development
Mr. Testa is Vice President, Product Development at Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., and is responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the development of novel therapeutics in clinical research. He has more than 30 years of experience in research and clinical development including trial planning and implementation, as well as project management, staff recruiting and training. His therapeutic experiences include cardiovascular, oncology and neurology, as well as immunology.
Mr. Testa first joined Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., in 1987, serving as the Clinical Research Associate for the International Clinical Trials Division in Research & Development in Italy. In 1997, he transferred to the U.S. and most recently served as the Vice President of Clinical Development. Prior to that, Mr. Testa held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility within the company.
Mr. Testa holds a Bachelor of Arts from the Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’.
Joseph M. Wiley, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Vice President, Medical Affairs, Drug Safety, and Pharmacovigilance
Dr. Wiley is Vice President, Medical Affairs, Drug Safety, and Pharmacovigilance at Leadiant Biosciences, Inc., and is responsible for leading and managing Leadiant’s medical affairs operations and the drug safety and pharmacovigilance activities. Dr. Wiley directs the medical affairs strategic and operational initiatives and the medical science liaison team. Dr. Wiley also provides medical and scientific support of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Wiley supervises the drug safety team to oversee safety events in Leadiant sponsored clinical trials, as well as monitoring post approval adverse drug effects of the organization’s pharmaceutical portfolio. Dr. Wiley is responsible for managing the safety updates and maintenance of the safety components of the drug label. He has more than 35 years of experience and leadership in the medical field, specifically in pediatric hematology-oncology.
Prior to joining Leadiant, he served as the first Medical Director of Population Health at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, Maryland after serving as Chairman of Pediatrics for 14 years. Previously, he has also served as the Interim Director, Cancer Institute at the Alvin and Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute, Chairman of the Medical Executive Committee, Chairman of the Institutional Review Board and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
Dr. Wiley has contributed to more than one hundred publications and was honored as Pediatrician of the Year, Maryland Chapter, of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2013. He received his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Loyola College and his M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at The John Hopkins Hospital and a fellowship training in pediatric hematology oncology and bone marrow transplantation at The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Wiley is a member of numerous scientific societies.
