Biogen Appoints Gene Therapy SVP

Olivier Danos, Ph.D., has been named senior vice president of Gene Therapy at Biogen Idec. Dr. Danos reports to Douglas Williams, Ph.D., executive vice president, R&D, and is a member of Biogen’s senior R&D leadership team.
 
Dr. Danos will lead the company’s gene therapy research group and will also identify potential collaborations that complement the company’s internal capabilities and support the development of treatments across Biogen’s therapeutic focus areas.
 
Dr. Danos joins the company from Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, where he served as senior vice president, Molecular Medicine, Synthetic Biology and Gene Regulation since 2011. In this role, he was instrumental in assembling a gene therapy program and a technology platform for the development of controllable gene expression systems. Prior to Kadmon, Dr. Danos served as director of the Gene Therapy Consortium of the University College of London.
 
“Olivier is a true pioneer in the field. We believe that his expertise will help accelerate our development of a world-class gene therapy platform that combines our growing internal capabilities with collaborations with leading research organizations across the globe,” said Dr. Williams. “Our commitment to this important area will complement our existing capabilities in antisense, small molecule and biologics research, and enhance our ability to effectively and efficiently develop new treatments for people with serious diseases.”