Biogen names Jane Grogan head of research after splitting R&D

Biogen has appointed Jane Grogan as its new head of research. The move comes after CEO Chris Viehbacher said earlier this year he would split up the research and development team, which is one of the many changes he’s put in place as he tries to steer Biogen in the right direction.

Priya Singhal

Grogan is set to start in October, according to Biogen’s release on Wednesday morning. Priya Singhal, once the interim head of R&D, was appointed head of development in January when Biogen announced the split. She’s also served as interim head of research as the company searched for a permanent research leader.

Biogen this year has made sweeping changes to its pipeline — cutting a late-stage Parkinson’s program, preclinical gene therapies, and ophthalmology R&D, among other programs. And, in July, the company announced that it was buying Reata Pharmaceuticals for $7.3 billion, boosting its rare disease portfolio with Skyclarys, a recently approved treatment for Friedreich’s ataxia.

A major focus of Biogen’s new research group will be partnerships, Viehbacher has said.

Chris Viehbacher

“We’d like to have an external growth-oriented research organization,” he said in July following the Reata announcement. “There are an awful lot of capabilities in Biogen that make it unique as a partner in a number of fields, certainly anything in neuroscience, certainly now in rare diseases and also in aspects of immunology.

“I would suspect we’re going to focus more on the BD-type deals, licensing and collaborations for a while,” he added. In April, Biogen hired Adam Keeney as its new head of corporate development.

Grogan will bring cell therapy and immuno-oncology expertise to Biogen. She was chief scientific officer at Graphite Bio, leaving the company after it halved its staff and opted for strategic review. Graphite Bio had stopped work on its sickle cell therapy following a serious safety scare related to the treatment.

Prior to that, Grogan was at cell therapy biotech ArsenalBio as well as Roche’s Genentech, where she spent 15 years in immunology and immuno-oncology.

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