Profiles

Patrick has worked at Portola since the company’s inception. His work has focused on identifying the mechanism of action of anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents, which has been achieved through the development of novel technologies used in both preclinical models and clinical studies. The establishment of physiologically relevant models by Patrick and his colleagues has been fundamental in the discovery of the function of P2Y₁₂ in arterial thrombosis, which promotes thrombus stability; key differentiating factors that confer a greater therapeutic index for the direct-acting reversible P2Y₁₂ antagonist elinogrel vis-à-vis the thienopyridines; and the synergistic properties of P2Y₁₂ antagonists and anticoagulants. “At Portola, I am fortunate to work with colleagues who are passionate about what they do and a senior management team that successfully balances commitment to drug discovery with best-in-class drug development.”

In the seven years that Gillian has worked at Portola, she has focused her efforts on the Company’s pipeline products, including developing assays to more accurately predict the activity of anti-thrombotic agents in Portola’s P2Y₁₂ program. She also has assisted with screening efforts for the Company’s Syk-specific inhibitor program. Her previous experience provided her with the training and background in platelet biology required to develop new technologies to measure platelet function. At Portola, she has played a key role in implementing the Perfusion Chamber Assay in multiple Phase 1 and 2 studies. This allowed the reconstitution of the thrombotic process in vitro, and the monitoring of the modulation of thrombosis by antiplatelet agents. Gillian is motivated by “The rigorous science we do at Portola combined with a focus on improving the care of patients with cardiovascular conditions.”