JERUSALEM, November 20, 2025 — Leads & Copy — ViVac Pharma Ltd., a synthetic biology company focused on RNA–Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) immunotherapies, has appointed Keren Leshem as Chief Executive Officer.
Leshem, recognized by Forbes and Entrepreneur as an influential leader and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer CEO, brings nearly three decades of experience leading clinical-stage life science companies and translating research into commercial success.
ViVac Pharma’s platform reengineers viruses into a safe, self-limiting RNA blueprint. The company applies this viral logic to oncology, creating programmable cancer immunotherapies combining viral potency with RNA-level safety.
Under Leshem’s leadership, ViVac will accelerate its preclinical oncology pipeline, which includes programs in liver, ovarian, and other solid tumors. These indications represent significant unmet needs in tumors resistant to conventional treatments.
According to Leshem, ViVac’s science shifts the paradigm in oncology by using synthetic RNA to mimic the potency of viral immunity, but with the control and safety of modern nanomedicine. She said she is honored to lead a team of scientists and investors as they build the next generation of RNA-based cancer immunotherapies.
ViVac’s core leadership team includes:
- Dr. Lior Nissim, Head of the Biomedical Synthetic Biology Lab
- Prof. Chezy Barenholz, a leader in liposome technology and nanomedicine, co-inventor of Doxil®
- Dr. Ron Lahav, Chief Technology Officer and expert in RNA delivery
ViVac is backed by life science investors, including Dr. Jean de Gunzburg and Tuomas Tenkanen.
According to Barenholz, Leshem’s leadership and the team of pioneers positions ViVac at the forefront of RNA and nanomedicine innovation. He added that the company is building on decades of research to develop therapies that can outsmart cancer.
Nissim believes that one day future generations will look back in disbelief that cancer was once a leading cause of death. He said that their work brings that future closer, as synthetic biology, RNA innovation, and RNA delivery systems turn cancer into a curable condition.
The global cancer immunotherapy market is projected to exceed $125 billion by 2032. ViVac’s RNA–LNP platform is designed for scalability across multiple tumor types and offers the potential to expand beyond its initial indications into a wide range of cancers.
ViVac Pharma Ltd. is an early-stage biotechnology company developing RNA-based immunotherapies that safely eradicate cancer from within. ViVac’s platform reprograms RNA to behave like a virus, activating localized immune responses without viral replication.
Keren Leshem, CEO & Board Director, can be reached by email at kerenl@vivacpharma.com.
Source: ViVac Pharma Ltd.
