Steve Hessmann is an analytical expert, of about nine years, with a strong focus on mass spectrometry (MS). After graduating from a master degree in analytical sciences, his journey started as engineer in an academic laboratory. In two years, he gained the knowledge and experience to derive structural information on proteins to understand the molecular pathways of diseases or to characterize new conjugation strategies of antibody drug conjugates.

In 2019, he started a PhD in analytical chemistry funded by UCB Pharma, during which he strengthened his expertise in quantitative proteomics. Steve developed untargeted MS-based method for the quantification of trace-level host cell proteins in monoclonal antibodies from harvest to drug product. Ultimately, he played a pivotal role in the implementation of the methods developed in a GMP environment at UCB Pharma.

Seeking a fresh challenge, Steve ventured into the world of oligonucleotide and joined Novartis as a PostDoc in 2022. He brought his MS expertise to characterize xRNAs and their impurities. Since 2024, Steve is an analytical expert supporting the development of oligonucleotide therapeutics and their control strategy.