Dr. Woessner has over 35 years of experience in oncology drug discovery and pre-clinical pharmacology, with small molecule kinase inhibitors as well as biologics and antisense therapeutics, targeting mutational drivers of cancer and modulation of the antitumor immune response.

He has experience at biotech and at large pharma, including Sanofi, MedImmune, Array BioPharma, AstraZeneca, and Blueprint Medicines. 

He has led the preclinical in vivo pharmacology effort on multiple projects that have advanced compounds into the clinic, including ipatasertib (AKT inhibitor), filanesib (KSP inhibitor), golidocitinib (JAK1 inhibitor), danvatirsen (STAT3 inhibitor). 

For filanesib and danvatirsen, this included creation of preclinical data packages that defined novel clinical strategies for these compounds.

While at Blueprint Medicines, he established in-house in vivo pharmacology capability and led the in vivo pharmacology group, supporting multiple projects that led to nomination of development candidates. 

Dr. Woessner received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois, followed by postdoctoral training at SmithKline Beecham, studying the biology of topisomerases I and II and mechanisms of resistance to the topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan.