VANCOUVER, Wash. and NEW YORK. February 28, 2023 — Absci Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSI), a generative AI drug creation company, today announced its expansion into the European pharmaceutical market with the opening of its Innovation Center, located in Zug, Switzerland. The Zug Innovation Center brings Absci’s AI drug creation platform to the global stage and taps into the European pharma and biotech ecosystem. Absci welcomed two senior executives to lead its drug creation team: Christine Lemke, DVM, MBA, SVP of Portfolio & Growth Strategy, and Christian Stegmann, Ph.D., SVP of Drug Creation.
“Absci’s European presence signals a new phase in expanding our strategic R&D portfolio and building Absci’s own drug development pipeline,” said Andreas Busch, Absci’s Chief Innovation Officer. “The Zug Innovation Center taps into important potential partners, global talent, and AI capabilities in Europe and beyond. Drs. Lemke and Stegmann are esteemed leaders who bring tremendous experience and an impressive track record to help lead our strategic portfolio and global expansion.”
“The Zug Innovation Center brings Absci’s drug creation platform to the heart of European innovation,” said Sean McClain, founder and CEO of Absci. “Zug is a leading biotech hub for bringing drugs to market. Absci is tapping into its talent and technology ecosystem to realize our mission of bringing life-changing biologics to patients faster, through the power of generative AI and our expansion into the region.”
Dr. Lemke previously served as Head of Global Corporate Development at Ferring International Center SA. A seasoned international executive, she brings substantial corporate development and operations expertise to Absci. For global biopharmaceutical companies, including Bayer, Shire, and Takeda, Dr. Lemke delivered multiple global, transformative strategic projects. Her experience in nearly every aspect of drug discovery and development will shape Absci’s R&D strategy with an emphasis on bringing life-changing medicines to patients.
“Based on my experience in the industry, Absci presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the drug creation process,” said Dr. Lemke. “It’s a rare opportunity to work with a team of this caliber, and I’m optimistic we can create better biologics for patients faster.”
Dr. Stegmann is an accomplished R&D leader with a track record of building teams that successfully bring novel molecules into clinical development. Dr. Stegmann previously served as the VP of Research and Non-clinical Development at CSL Vifor, where he built a highly innovative R&D portfolio in nephrology and iron deficiency. Prior to that, he held various R&D leadership roles at Bayer, most recently as Senior Director of its Precision Cardiology Laboratory, leading a flagship collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
“Generative AI has the potential to power the next era of drug creation, and Absci is leading the way in what’s possible,” said Dr. Stegmann. “Creating meaningful innovative therapies for patients is a challenging and demanding endeavor with many components that have to mesh perfectly. Using Absci’s unique capabilities in AI, I look forward to making this endeavor more efficient and successful to improve patients’ lives.”