Published October 12, 2023
Jane Grogan, Ph.D., a seasoned scientist with experience at biotech giants like Genentech, is embarking on a new adventure as she takes the helm of Biogen’s research unit. In her new role, which began officially on October 2, Grogan is eager to infuse the fast-paced, determined ethos of the biotech world into her new position.
While still acclimating to her team and their projects, Grogan faces a challenging task as Biogen undergoes a substantial reorganization that includes reducing its workforce by around 1,000 employees. The need for swiftly aligning the focus of scientists is paramount, and Grogan is up to the task, thanks to her prior role as the Chief Scientific Officer of ArsenalBio and Graphite Bio.
“The opportunity as CSO in startups really taught me how to be scrappy, how to be focused, how to be disciplined, and the importance of growing a really good team and mentoring good scientists,” Grogan revealed in a recent interview.
She added, “We’re gonna look at all modalities at this point. I’ve just started, and so we’ll be taking a fresh look at where our preclinical portfolio needs to be.”
Grogan’s approach aligns with the well-defined strategy of Biogen’s new CEO, Chris Viehbacher. For instance, she discussed the potential in gene editing, a focus in her previous position at Graphite, but noted that the delivery technology needs further development. She also expressed interest in cell therapies but acknowledged that the field is still maturing.
“I think the rules of that science are playing out now in the clinic and across many companies,” she explained. “And we’re going to watch and see how this applies to oncology and also to autoimmune diseases.”
Grogan refrained from showing interest in psychedelics research, even as this area gains investment and clinical legitimacy. Instead, she highlighted Biogen’s “really limited, very focused effort in neuropsychiatry.”
One of the priorities under Grogan’s leadership is immunology, especially targets that could be instrumental in treating multiple diseases and may overlap with multiple sclerosis, a condition that’s been a cornerstone of Biogen’s portfolio.
Grogan’s appointment at Biogen coincided with the completion of a $7.3 billion acquisition of Reata Pharmaceuticals, which included the FDA-approved Friedreich’s ataxia treatment Skyclarys. She is in the process of evaluating Reata’s clinical portfolio, including prospects like cemdomespib.
As Biogen aims to rekindle team morale following a summer of layoffs and restructuring, Grogan, drawing on her extensive experience, intends to motivate her team to persevere in the quest for scientific breakthroughs.
“One of the privileges of what we do as scientists … is kind of waking up every day to discover something new, come up with a hypothesis, test it, kill the idea, kill the experiment, go on to the next one, and continue to build and learn until we understand something,” Grogan emphasized.
This determination and the “scrappiness” cultivated in the biotech world will undoubtedly infuse Biogen’s research with fresh energy and ambition under her leadership.
