Biography
Chris Farina is the Chief Executive Officer of Abcentra, bringing over a decade of management experience in cardiovascular disease drug development. Since joining Abcentra in 2013, he has been instrumental in advancing the development of orticumab, a pioneering antibody targeting oxidized LDL. Under his leadership, the company successfully designed, operationalized, and reported a phase 2a proof-of-activity study for orticumab, providing the first clinical evidence suggesting that pharmacological inhibition of oxidized LDL has the potential to reduce coronary inflammation. His groundbreaking research on orticumab has been featured in Cardiovascular Research, was presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Sessions in 2024. He is the inventor of multiple patented applications for orticumab.
Mr. Farina has held several key positions at Abcentra, including Chief of Staff, Vice President of Operations, and Director of R&D Program Management.
He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Management of Drug Development and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Southern California. Additionally, he has earned a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) from The Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.
Publications:
- Christopher J Farina, Michael H Davidson, et al. Inhibition of oxidized low-density lipoprotein with orticumab inhibits coronary inflammation and reduces residual inflammatory risk in psoriasis: a pilot randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, Cardiovascular Research, 2024;, cvae057, https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvae057
- Dunér, P., Mattisson, I.Y., Fogelstrand, P. et al. Antibodies against apoB100 peptide 210 inhibit atherosclerosis in apoE-/- mice. Sci Rep 11, 9022 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88430-1
