AbbVie Ventures

Head of AbbVie Ventures - Cambridge, MA 

Christian is a trained geneticist, neurobiologist, and biochemist with global big pharma and large biotech experience, and an ever-curious biotech startup mindset. He brings broad strategic and deep operational expertise in company creation, venture investing, external innovation, business development, and R&D to AbbVie Ventures. Passionate about drug discovery and value creation through scientific entrepreneurship to serve patients across the biopharmaceutical value chain, Christian has built and led successful partnering teams across biotech hubs in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. 

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Director - San Francisco, CA

Shawna brings a familiarity of the biotech ecosystem from both sides of the table. She is an experienced life science venture capital investor with prior investments in private and public biotech companies, participating in Series A financings through IPO and beyond. She also has Corporate Strategy and Business Development experience and was herself Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor of a bay area startup developing therapeutics for neurological and ocular indications. A biochemist/biophysicist by training, her prior research experience spans the areas of cellular physiology, molecular engineering, synthetic biology and gene therapy.

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Director - Oxford, UK

Donmienne is a strategic thinker and a passionate drug hunter with decades of experience in pre-clinical research where she delivered valuable clinical assets to treat the unmet needs of patients. She broke boundaries to stride the interface of small molecule chemistry and biologics research with a collaborative mindset to connect scientists in her expanding network around the world.

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Associate Director - San Francisco, CA

Danjuma is a trained computational biologist with a background in human genomics and statistical genetics that started in the AbbVie Genetics Research Center before transitioning to AbbVie Ventures in the Corporate Strategy Organization. He joined the team after simultaneously completing the Strategy Leadership Development program and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern. Danjuma is passionate about early cutting-edge science, novel drug development technologies, and external biopharmaceutical innovation to ultimately improve patient lives.

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Director - Cambridge, MA 

Christina Vorvis, PhD is Director, East Coast Ventures at AbbVie, where she leads investments in early-stage companies developing transformative therapies and technologies for cancer, immunology, neuroscience, eye care, and aesthetics based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Christina has over 10 years of experience in the Life Sciences, including benchside research, digital health startups, investment banking, and deal origination and deal execution at global institutions like Amgen, OrbiMed, and Back Bay Life Science Advisors. She earned her PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied the molecular mechanisms of tumor growth and progression in pancreatic cancer. Prior to joining AbbVie, Christina advised biotech and pharmaceutical companies on mergers and acquisitions, financings, and other strategic transactions. In her current role at AbbVie, Christina is passionate about using her expertise to help innovative companies develop and commercialize new therapies and technologies that improve the lives of patients around the world.

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