Distinguished Alumni 2006: Thomas F. Zioncheck

Thomas F. Zioncheck

BS, Chemistry, State University of New York at Oneonta, 1984
PhD, Biochemistry, Purdue University, 1988

Associate Director, Business Development, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California

Dr. Thomas Zioncheck was born in Binghamton, New York and grew up in the Hudson River Valley, 90 miles north of New York City. He earned a BS in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Oneonta with High Honors in 1984. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1988. The focus of his doctoral work was on the characterization of protein kinases in lymphocytes with the goal of understanding their role in cellular proliferation and differentiation. This work led to the discovery of a novel family of enzymes (SYK and ZAP-70 kinases) that were subsequently shown to be integral players in cell signaling and cancer biology.

Following his graduate work in 1988, Dr. Zioncheck was selected as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Genentech, Inc. where he continued his pursuit of trying to understand the molecular basis of disease with the hope of developing new drugs to treat life-threatening illnesses. In 1991, he was hired as a Development Scientist at Genentech where he went on to hold positions of increasing responsibility including: Senior Scientist, Associate Director, and Director of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology. While at Genentech, he has also had the honor of serving as the Development Project Team Leader for three different drug development programs. In this capacity he had responsibility for leading a cross-functional project team in setting the strategic direction for programs transitioning from preclinical development into early clinical trials.

During his tenure at Genentech, Dr. Zioncheck has made scientific contributions to many FDA regulatory filings including investigational new drug applications (INDs) and biological licensing agreements (BLAs) for novel cardiovascular, autoimmune, and cancer therapies. He has published over 30 scientific papers, has six issued patents, and has received 16 corporate recognition awards for significant contributions to Genentech's accomplishments.

Dr. Zioncheck's commitment and contribution to the pharmaceutical sciences are further demonstrated by his role in various organizations, including the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). In 2001, he was elected Chair for the Biotech Section, and he served as co-chair for the first National AAPS Biotechnology meeting. In 2002, he was appointed as Adjunct Professor in the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, in Stockton CA. Here he is able to bring real world experiences to classrooms in an effort to strengthen the pharmacy programs and student curriculum.

In March 2005, he made a career change and joined the Business Development Group at Genentech. He currently serves as Associate Director for in-licensing new therapeutics, technology, and intellectual property. He enjoys applying his scientific background and drug-development expertise in sourcing and evaluation of new strategic opportunities for Genentech.

Dr. Zioncheck's wife of 12 years, Kim, is a graduate of the University of California at Davis. Their twin sons, Andrew and Zachary, keep them very happy and busy. Together they enjoy traveling, camping, skiing, and spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors.