Meet Joey, one of our Canadian scientists. He is one of the many people at Gilead committed to improving the lives of people living with HIV around the world.
Decades of scientific innovation, community partnership and public health advocacy transformed HIV from an inevitably fatal disease to one that for many can be well controlled and prevented. But, at Gilead, we believe we must go further. We continue to champion innovations, support access programs and drive collaborative partnerships that support the long-term wellness of all people impacted by HIV. Whether it’s researching how medicines work in priority populations (such as Indigenous peoples and women), or how innovative HIV prevention and treatment strategies can drive more equitable HIV care, our goal is to bring safe and effective therapies to everyone who needs them.
The Gilead Alberta facility is involved in the development of both processes and analytical methods for many of the company’s worldwide research programs. With 370 highly-trained scientists and technical personnel, the Edmonton-based team manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to support clinical trials of investigational Gilead therapies, and leverages ground-breaking technologies to refine and improve manufacturing processes for production of both clinical and commercial products. Their ability to perform is critical to Gilead’s success and, most importantly, to the millions of people around the world who rely on our medicines.
With a decade of clinical research experience, Joey Su joined the Gilead team in 2008, and took on the role of API lead for an investigational HIV medicine. Joey’s journey with Gilead started to get interesting as he, along with a dedicated team, followed in the footsteps of many others in the company who have focused on improving lives, and began to develop a manufacturing process and appropriate controls for this compound. While a great deal of what we work on will not ultimately be successful, this compound continued to show promise, was eventually filed and approved, and is in commercial use today.
“Right from the start, the whole team recognized that continuous scientific innovation is the key to supporting the global goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, so we are committed to advancing our development and manufacturing efforts every single day,” said Joey, Su, API lead at Gilead Sciences. “Through the innovative approaches we use here in Alberta, we hope to continue to address the evolving needs of the people impacted by HIV not just in Canada, but all over the world.”
Joey believes one of the reasons for the group’s continued success is that it is such a great place to work, with state-of-the-art facilities and talented people skilled at developing the right manufacturing processes for optimal clinical and commercial purposes. It is a unique, fully Canadian operation that has a growth mindset and cohesive team culture.
Joey also knows there’s always more to do. The Alberta team continues to be committed to research in HIV and to Gilead’s vision of creating possible. With a few victories under their belt, they plan to use the knowledge, insights, and learnings to not just treat some of the world’s most challenging public health threats – but to help achieve the global elimination goals.
Decades of scientific innovation, partnership, and advocacy have helped transform HIV from a fatal diagnosis to one that could be managed chronically. Joey, and all of his Gilead colleagues, will continue their commitment to improving the lives of people living with HIV around the world.
