Absci Appoints Biopharma Leader Mary Szela to Board of Directors

Former Abbott executive who led the US launch and global expansion of Humira® adds three decades of commercial and clinical leadership expertise July 07, 2025 08:00 ET | Source: Absci Corporation VANCOUVER, Wash., July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Absci (Nasdaq: ABSI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing breakthrough therapeutics designed with generative AI, today announced the appointment of veteran biopharmaceutical executive Mary Szela to its Board of Directors. With decades of R&D and commercial leadership experience, Ms. Szela has played pivotal roles in advancing transformative therapies, notably guiding the global launch and expansion of Humira® into multiple indications during her tenure at Abbott Laboratories. “Mary has been a driving force behind the development of one of the most successful therapies in the industry, bringing a rare and invaluable breadth of experience—from accelerating early-stage clinical programs to leading the commercialization of blockbuster treatments like Humira®,” said Sean McClain, Founder & CEO of Absci. “She joins us as we accelerate potentially category-defining programs like ABS-201 for androgenetic alopecia, and grow our pipeline of AI-designed biologics.” Ms. Szela brings a wealth of board-level expertise including her service on the boards of Prometheus Biosciences, which was acquired by Merck for $10.8B based on its lead TL1A program, Kura Oncology, and Novo Nordisk. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director of TriSalus Life Sciences. Previously, Ms. Szela received both her B.S. in Nursing and her MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. "I've watched Absci rapidly transform from its origins as a data-first platform company into a leader in generative AI drug discovery with a robust pipeline,” said Mary Szela. “To see Absci's growing pipeline of high-potential biologics, all designed using its innovative AI platform, is remarkable. I’m honored to join the Board at this pivotal moment and look forward to contributing to Absci’s mission of delivering better biologics to patients, faster.” Ms. Szela joins Absci as the company expands and accelerates development of its AI-designed pipeline programs. This includes ABS-101, an anti-TL1A antibody for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with Phase 1 interim data expected later this year, and ABS-201, an anti-prolactin receptor antibody for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia anticipated to enter the clinic in early 2026. About AbsciAbsci is advancing the future of drug discovery with generative design to create better biologics for patients, faster. Our Integrated Drug Creation™ platform combines cutting-edge AI models with a synthetic biology data engine, enabling the rapid design of innovative therapeutics that address challenging therapeutic targets. Absci’s approach leverages a continuous feedback loop between advanced AI algorithms and wet lab validation. Each cycle refines our data and strengthens our models, facilitating rapid innovation and enhancing the precision of our therapeutic designs. Alongside collaborations with top pharmaceutical, biotech, tech, and academic leaders, Absci is advancing its own pipeline of AI designed therapeutics. These include ABS-101, a potentially best-in-class antibody to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as other indications, and ABS-201, a groundbreaking innovation in hair regrowth with the potential to redefine treatment possibilities for androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male and female pattern baldness. Absci is headquartered in Vancouver, WA, with an AI Research Lab in New York City, and Innovation Center in Switzerland. Learn more at www.absci.com or follow us on LinkedIn (@absci), X (@Abscibio) and YouTube. Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements in this press release that are not historical facts are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements containing the words “will,” “pursues,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “forecast,” “potential,” “goal,” “estimates,” “extends,” “expects,” and “intends,” or similar expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our expectations related to business operations, portfolio strategy, financial performance, and results of operations, our expectations and guidance related to the success of our partnerships, the gross use of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, including revised guidance, our projected cash usage, needs, and runway, our expectations regarding the signing and number of additional partners and number of programs included in such partnerships, our technology development efforts and the application of those efforts, including for generalizing our platform, accelerating drug development timelines, improving the economics of drug discovery by lowering costs, and increasing the probability of success for drug development, our ability to execute with our partners to create differentiated antibody therapeutic candidates in an efficient manner, create and execute a successful development and commercialization strategy related to such candidates with current or future partners, and design and develop differentiated therapeutics to treat disease with unmet need, our ability to market our platform technologies to potential partners, and our internal asset programs, including our clinical development strategy, the progress and timing for various stages of development including advancement to lead stage, completion of pre-clinical studies, candidate selection, IND enabling studies, initiating clinical trials and the generation and disclosure of data related to these programs, the translation of preclinical results and data into product candidates, and the significance of preclinical results, including in comparison to competitor molecules and in leading to differentiated clinical efficacy or product profiles, to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, and we make this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies, and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. We can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved, and, furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to obtaining and maintaining necessary approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities, replicating in clinical trials promising or positive results observed in preclinical studies, our dependence on third parties to support our internal asset programs, including for the manufacture and supply of preclinical and clinical supplies of our product candidates or components thereof, our ability to effectively collaborate on research, drug discovery and development activities with our partners or potential partners, our existing and potential partners’ ability and willingness to pursue the development and commercialization of programs or product candidates under the terms of our partnership agreements, and overall market conditions and regulatory developments that may affect our and our partners’ activities under these agreements, along with those risks set forth in our most recent periodic report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Investor ContactAlex KhanVP, Finance & Investor Relationsinvestors@absci.com Media Contactpress@absci.com

Absci Appoints Biopharma Leader Mary Szela to Board of Directors

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