Muna Therapeutics names former iTeos CEO to lead company

Muna Therapeutics announced a chief executive transition, with Michel Detheux, Ph.D., appointed CEO effective June 29, 2026, replacing founding CEO Rita Balice-Gordon, Ph.D., who will join the company's board of directors.

Detheux previously served as founder, president, and CEO of iTeos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ITOS), where he raised more than $1.2 billion, grew the company to 180 employees across the U.S. and Europe, and secured a $2 billion collaboration with GSK.

Muna, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with U.S. operations, focuses on therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. Its lead asset, MNA-001, is a small-molecule TREM2 agonist currently completing Phase 1 trials, with Phase 2 testing in early Alzheimer's patients targeted for early 2027.

In June, Muna published a study in Nature Medicine using its MiND-MAP discovery platform, identifying microglial state transitions as drivers of Alzheimer's disease progression.

Balice-Gordon said in a statement that she is "extraordinarily proud" of the team's progress, citing the advancement of MNA-001 and establishment of the MiND-MAP platform. Detheux called the TREM2 agonist program a "compelling clinical asset" and referenced the existing GSK alliance as a partnership model familiar to him.

Board Chair Donald Nicholson, Ph.D., credited Balice-Gordon for building the company's scientific foundation and said Detheux's business experience would help guide Muna through future clinical and corporate milestones.

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