Biogen Idec names new ALS innovation hub leader

Biogen Idec has named Dr Donald Johns as the new leader of its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) innovation hub, known as the ALS iHub.

Dr Johns has joined the company as a vice-president and take charge of the new unit, which is dedicated to accelerating the discovery and development of novel therapies for ALS by integrating research with clinical development.

Formerly employed by Novartis, the new recruit can boast more than 30 years of experience researching and developing medicines for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, with more than 14 issued or pending patents to his name.

The ALS iHub seeks to create a new model for developing ALS therapies that incorporates the latest science, technology and advances in clinical trial design.

Dr Alfred Sandrock, group senior vice-president and chief medical officer at Biogen Idec, said: "Under Don's leadership, I believe that the ALS iHub model will drive meaningful innovations in ALS discovery and development."

This comes shortly after the firm appointed Adriana Karaboutis as its new executive vice-president for technology and business solutions, effective as of September 24th 2014.