Absci Corporation, a generative AI drug creation company, is expanding into the European pharmaceutical market with the opening of an Innovation Center 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, SVP of Portfolio & Growth Strategy, and Christian Stegmann, 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.”

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.

Stegmann previously served as the vice president 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.