- Directory of Strategy & Business Development, Colton Consortium for Autoimmunity; Colton Center for Autoimmunity and Institute for Immunology and Immune Health (Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)
Dr. Leonardo Guercio is the Director of Strategy and Business Development for the Penn Colton Center for Autoimmunity and the Institute for Immunology and Immune Health (I3H). He earned his BA and PhD in Neuroscience from Penn and went on to roles in tech transfer, business development, and research commercialization, including at Blackfynn, a venture-backed healthcare technology startup focused on data management and analytics for neurological disorders. He later managed strategic alliances with corporate partners at Penn’s Gene Therapy Program (now Gemma Biotherapeutics), overseeing a portfolio of programs from discovery science through IND approval. Together, these roles have given him a distinctive blend of scientific training and business development experience across academia, startups, and technology commercialization.
In his current role, Dr. Guercio oversees scientific programs and leads strategic partnerships, technology transfer, and intellectual property for the Penn Colton Center, including flagship initiatives such as the Colton Immune Profiling Initiative (CIPI). He also directs strategy and operations for the Colton Consortium, where he manages cross-Consortium grant programs, industry engagements, and the Consortium’s annual symposium and retreat.