Biogen vet jumps to CSO at Third Rock Treg biotech; Karuna CEO is stepping down, but this isn’t goodbye

Ellen Cahir-McFarland

Just a few days into her new job, Ellen Cahir-McFarland’s office is being emptied.

Cahir-McFarland, formerly head of research at Annexon, is the new chief scientific officer of Abata Therapeutics, a preclinical biotech that’s developing regulatory T cell, or Treg, therapies for multiple sclerosis. On Monday, Abata will be moving from its current shared space to its new office in Watertown, MA — hence the emptying, Cahir-McFarland tells Endpoints News from a now bare, white-walled office room.

Cahir-McFarland grew up in an academic household and initially thought that she would go into academia as well, but when she did, “it was kind of lonely,” Cahir-McFarland said.

“I had a nice exposure through some consulting gigs that showed me the pharma model, and I realized that collective working together was much more my speed, much more suited my personality,” she added….
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