BlossomHill Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the design and development of small molecule medicines for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced the appointment of Geoff Oxnard, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. Dr. Oxnard is a globally recognized clinical and translational cancer investigator who spent nearly 10 years on faculty at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. His research catalyzed many of the early clinical insights into sensitivity and resistance to EGFR inhibitors in advanced lung cancer, including the first description of the EGFR C797S resistance mutation, reported in Nature Medicine in 2015.
“Since its founding in 2020, BlossomHill Therapeutics has established a robust and high-quality pipeline. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Geoff Oxnard to BlossomHill,” said Dr. Jean Cui, President and Chief Executive Officer of BlossomHill Therapeutics. “Geoff’s extensive track record and unique expertise in precision medicine make him an ideal fit to lead our clinical development at this important stage. We look forward to his leadership in advancing potentially first-in-class or best-in-class treatments to patients.”
“I am excited to join the BlossomHill team at this pivotal moment as we advance our first two oncology programs through first-in-human studies,” commented Dr. Oxnard. “It is an honor to collaborate with Dr. Cui, whose exceptional drug design expertise has led to three FDA-approved oncology therapies. With BlossomHill’s dedication to cutting-edge science and a patient-first philosophy, we have a remarkable opportunity to deliver innovative precision cancer treatments to those who need them most.”
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Dr. Oxnard’s career as a clinical investigator and translational scientist has spanned across industry and academia with an aim toward delivering precision cancer therapies and better patient outcomes. His research focused on molecular drivers of sensitivity and resistance to precision cancer therapies and the application of molecular diagnostics to advance cancer care and drug development. He has authored over 200 scientific publications spanning a wide range of cancer science, from genomic discovery through registrational clinical trials. Prior to joining BlossomHill, Dr. Oxnard served as vice president, global head of thoracic cancers at Eli Lilly (formerly Loxo Oncology), where he accelerated the early and late-phase development of a diverse thoracic portfolio. He previously served as senior vice president, head of clinical development at Foundation Medicine, where he supported the FDA approval of FoundationOne®Liquid CDx and the launch of an emerging ctDNA monitoring portfolio. Dr. Oxnard continues to see patients part-time as a thoracic oncologist at Boston Medical Center, a safety-net hospital in Boston. Dr. Oxnard received his medical degree from the University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
The company has also appointed Ashley Preston, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance. Dr. Preston joins BlossomHill after previously serving as senior vice president of global regulatory affairs, quality, and operational excellence at Syros Pharmaceuticals, where he led regulatory strategies and quality systems to advance innovative therapies. Dr. Preston has extensive experience in global regulatory affairs spanning multiple regions, countries, and therapeutic areas. He holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmacology from Monash University and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from RMIT University.
SOURCE: Businesswire