Director, Neurology Research Biogen Cambridge, MA

Warren Hirst is Director and head of the Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders preclinical research efforts in Biogen’s Research and Early Development department, a position he has held since joining them in 2016. Warren is responsible for developing and driving a diverse preclinical portfolio of programs, to complement Biogen’s development efforts for their α-synuclein antibody, which is in Phase 2 trials, using multiple modalities, from antibodies and antisense oligonucleotides, in collaboration in Ionis, to gene therapy and small molecules, targeting mechanisms strongly supported by human genetics and pathology, to deliver novel disease-modifying therapeutics to patients.

Warren received his Ph.D. from Imperial College, London and, after a post-doc at the same institution, he moved to industry. Warren has 20 years of pharma experience, all focused on neurodegeneration research and drug development, holding positions of increasing responsibility at SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoSmithKline in England, before moving to the USA to join Wyeth and then Pfizer. Warren has lead teams that have discovered and advanced 2 molecules into clinical trials (Phase 1 and Phase 3) and has published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Warren is actively engaged in the wider scientific community via collaborations with key academic partners, and his service on NINDS study sections, foundation grant review committees, and as an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple journals including Neuron and PNAS. Warren has received multiple grants in addition to serving as a reviewer and scientific advisor for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.