Mr Walker was most recently the chairman and CEO of Novacea, which merged with Transcept Pharmaceuticals in January 2009. Mr Walker currently serves on the board of directors of Affymax, Transcept Pharmaceuticals and Evotec.
Mr Walker has received a BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a graduate of the advanced executive program, J L Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Beth Seidenberg, chairperson of iZumi Bio, said: “We are very pleased to have John joining iZumi Bio as CEO. His considerable experience across a wide range of companies, therapeutic areas and technologies, including human embryonic stem cells, will help accelerate the full realization of iZumi Bio’s induced pluripotent stem cell technology.”