Case Study

Focus on the patient

"Everything we do in Discovery Research can make a difference to patients - this is what motivates me," explains Karen Lackey, Director of Systems Chemistry in Discovery Research.

Karen leads a group of 51 research chemists in the UK, US and Japan. They work at the beginning of the drug discovery pipeline, identifying and creating molecules that have the potential to become new treatments. In her previous role in the organisation, her chemistry team was involved in discovering the lapatinib molecule for use in breast cancer treatments which is now being tested in clinical trials.

Karen believes that the introduction of Centres of Excellence for Drug Discovery (CEDD) at GSK has had an important impact. CEDDs bring together a range of experts in a particular disease area to speed up the drug discovery process. "The way GSK R&D is set up helps us to prioritise our efforts and ensure that we discover the most effective medicines. Through the CEDDs, researchers have access to experts in all our main therapeutic areas. They evaluate every molecule for its value to patients and help us to identify which ones will have the most impact."

Jill and Eric Wolford understand the importance of this better than most. In 1999 Jill was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent nine months of intensive treatment including chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell transplants.

Now recovered and back at work as an Associate Director at GSK’s Global Clinical Operations North America, she and her husband Eric, also a GSK employee, are keen to talk about their experiences. They are meeting with R&D managers and leadership teams to talk about how Jill’s illness has shaped their attitudes to life and work.

This is part of GSK’s Focus on the Patient, an initiative that aims to reinforce a patient centred culture across R&D. Employees have the opportunity to hear from patients about their diseases, the GSK treatments that have helped them and the new medicines they need. One of the goals is to motivate employees by reminding them of the benefits they can bring to patients through their work.

Jill welcomes this initiative. "My father was a breast cancer survivor and I’m 99% sure I carry the breast cancer gene. So when I look at my kids I think ‘Please someone find a cure for breast cancer’. For every case report form there is a person, family and network of friends. We treat people not diseases and we need to remind ourselves of this the whole time."

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