Biogen Appoints Jane Grogan as Head of Research

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced the appointment of Jane Grogan, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President, Head of Research effective 2 October 2023. Dr. Grogan will be a member of Biogen’s Executive Committee reporting to Christopher A. Viehbacher, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Dr. Grogan is a pioneering scientist whose groundbreaking discoveries at Genentech helped pave the way for development of targeted autoimmune and oncology therapies. I believe Jane will be a strong asset to Biogen as we seek to bring a greater number of innovative medicines to market faster and more effectively,” said Mr. Viehbacher. “Together with Dr. Priya Singhal, EVP and Head of Development, she will determine the company’s portfolio strategy with the aim of creating value and making decisions aligned with our scientific expertise and translational capabilities.”

Jane Grogan brings nearly two decades of experience leading biotech research, including fifteen years with Genentech. Dr. Grogan most recently served as the Chief Scientific Officer at Graphite Bio, a cell and gene editing company. Prior to this, she served as Chief Scientific Officer at ArsenalBio, a privately held programmable T cell therapy company, responsible for research, discovery and preclinical pipeline, including development for the company’s first product candidate.

During her time at Genentech, Dr. Grogan served in a number of increasingly senior roles across Immunology and Immuno-oncology, covering research strategies and drug development across RA, Lupus, MS, IBD and Cancer. As Head of Adaptive Tumor Immunity and Principal Scientist in Cancer Immunology Discovery Research at Genentech, Dr. Grogan’s research primarily delved into mechanisms of T cell activation, tolerance-induction, and epigenetic modifiers, adopting an integrative methodology combining bioinformatics, biology, and diagnostics. Her laboratory identified crucial regulators of both effector and regulatory T cells and progressed several targets into clinical trials for autoimmune and oncology indications, such as anti-lymphotoxin alpha for rheumatoid arthritis and anti-TIGIT for cancer immunotherapy. At Genentech, Dr. Grogan also integrated strategy between Early Discovery Research, Clinical Development, and Business Development and was project leader for engineered T cell therapies.

During her career, Dr. Grogan has published more than 60 papers in a wide array of journals and is listed as inventor on more than 20 patents. She received her Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, Australia, earned her PhD in Immunology from Leiden University, The Netherlands, and underwent post-doctoral training as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the DRFZ in Berlin and as a Howard Hughes Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco.

About Biogen
Founded in 1978, Biogen is a leading global biotechnology company that has pioneered multiple breakthrough innovations including a broad portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, and two co-developed treatments to address a defining pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen is advancing a pipeline of potential novel therapies across neurology, neuropsychiatry, specialized immunology and rare diseases and remains acutely focused on its purpose of serving humanity through science while advancing a healthier, more sustainable and equitable world.

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