• Member Profile: Hovik Gukasyan

    Dr. Hovik Gukasyan is a Senior Principal Scientist at Pfizer Global R&D in San Diego, CA.

    Q&A with Hovik Gukasyan

    When did you first discover you had a passion for science?
    I have two chemist parents and have always been fascinated by how things worked. From a very early age, I knew I would help make medicines for people.

    What do you do at Pfizer?
    I do drug discovery, specifically initiating and repositioning projects for cancer (as well as eye disease) treatment through pre-clinical experiments. Basically, I try to discover other uses for existing compounds in the Pfizer pipeline that can help treat cancer or prevent blindness.

    What would you like people to understand about science?
    Science has no limits and it allows us to pursue wild ideas that can have a lasting impact. Of course, Pfizer is practical and ethical about its pursuits, but the science we do here improves and saves lives — and that’s amazing.

    What has been a career highlight for you?
    I was a big part of a small team that discovered a potential new indication for a compound for the treatment of glaucoma. The compound was originally created to help quickly heal bone fractures and we conducted experiments to see if it could be repurposed. The eye drop formulation we developed is currently in Phase Two clinical trials and I have great hope that it will make it to market. There are millions of compounds in the Pfizer pipeline that have been tested and de-prioritized for the indications for which they were originally created. So a big part of my job is to go back into our ‘haystack’ to try and find the needle – and sometimes we do.

    What do you do to share your passion for science?
    I am a lecturer on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy and the University of California at San Diego Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering where I teach courses on specialized and advanced drug delivery technologies. But I also enjoy volunteering my time at inner city high schools and middle schools where I get to do hands on show-and-tell demos and bring science directly to the kids. I like to think I’m helping to build the next generation of researchers.

    Why did you join Think Science Now (TSN)?
    I think TSN is a very progressive program for a pharmaceutical company. The day I joined TSN I ordered new business cards with the www.thinksciencenow.com URL on them. I feel privileged to be a part of a program that lets me share concepts and ideas I am working on with the scientific community. Through TSN I’ve met people around the world who are interested in my work and the same science I am pursuing.

    What would you like Pfizer to be known for?
    I would like our company to be recognized for putting patients first. We are a for-profit company of course, but in my six years here I’ve seen Pfizer take huge risks and invest in some the hardest to treat disease areas in order to help those with little hope. It’s a strong position to take, but it’s one I’m very proud our company does.

    What is one thing your colleagues would be surprised to know about you?
    I am addicted to open water swimming. I swim for at least one hour in the Pacific Ocean 300+ days a year. I’ve been told this is a little crazy, but it’s like therapy for me and it’s where I have my best ideas.

    Read Hovik’s recent blog posts here.

    Click here to learn more about Hovik.

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