In the latest instalment of our ‘Meet the Team’ series, we sat down with Bob Humphries, Platelet Services’ Non-Executive Director and Drug Discovery Advisor, to discuss his career journey and what he thinks makes Platelet Services such a special company.
Early inspirations
Bob has always felt that the field of science and medicine was exciting, and fondly remembers the buzz around the defining breakthrough events that took place through his childhood, such as the Space Race and the first successful heart transplants.
While he originally had a desire to become a Doctor, Bob ultimately decided to study Pharmacology over a four-year course at the University of Bradford. The course included a placement year spent working at Boots on Pennyfoot Street in Nottingham, which is now BioCity – coincidently where Platelet Services is based!
Introduction to platelets
After university, Bob went on to work for Fisons in the Cardiovascular Pharmacology department.
Mostly known for its work on asthma at that time, Fisons was looking for new projects for its cardiovascular team and decided that novel approaches to inhibition of platelets could be a good area to explore.
Through the company’s ties to several universities, Bob met up with the University of Nottingham platelets research team, headed by Stan Heptinstall, who later co-founded Platelet Solutions, which offered advice, reagents, and test kits for platelet testing. Bob participated in the platelet research team’s monthly meetings, and was able to apply the learning gained to his work on the discovery and early clinical progression of P2Y12 antagonists.
Working at Platelet Services
Having built up extensive experience in the field while working at Fisons, Astra then AstraZeneca, Bob co-founded Platelet Services with CEO Natalia in 2018. Commenting on the team, and how the company has changed over the last six years, Bob explains:
“Platelet Services was able to take advantage of the extensive platelet experience within the Nottingham platelet group to create a really special company. The team we have brought together is incredible; every member is committed, engaged and focused. During a recent Vision and Values session, we discovered that we’re all so close-knit that we almost have telepathy at times! I truly believe that there is no limit to what our team can do.
“An important step for Platelet Services came in 2021, when we brought Wendy Tomlinson on board as Chief Scientific Officer. Having worked with Wendy at Fisons, Astra Charnwood and AstraZeneca, when she played a pivotal role in the development of test systems for anti-platelet agents, I was certain that she would be a huge asset to the team – which she certainly has been. Subsequently, the team has grown in numbers, quality and diversity of knowledge and skills.
“Wendy’s appointment was the catalyst for Platelet Services to pursue “industrialisation” of platelet function testing – to take our offering from low-throughput assays, with limited flexibility and data output, to high-throughput, data-rich test systems – in order to optimally support our clients’ drug discovery projects.”
Career highlights
Bob’s career highlight was working on the P2Y12 antagonist programme. He says: “During my time at AstraZeneca, I had the privilege of leading the discovery project teams responsible for the discovery and early progression of the anti-thrombotic (P2Y12 antagonist) compounds ticagrelor and cangrelor. Despite the project having its trials and tribulations, as it moved from Fisons to Astra to AstraZeneca, the challenges were more than worth it to see ticagrelor (as Brilique/Brilinta) launched in 2010, ultimately becoming embedded in the clinical guidelines for the treatment of heart attacks – a medicine that has, and will, save patients’ lives.
“Thinking back to how I originally wanted to become a doctor when I was younger, I can see now that I’ve actually been able to impact more lives through working in drug discovery – something that makes me incredibly proud.”
“Throughout my career, I’ve realised that ultimately, everything comes down to people.
“Companies can have great ideas and the science to back them up, but in drug discovery, success can only happen when a group of committed and engaged individuals have the resolve to carry a project through times of difficulty and change. Communication and networking are also crucial; often, realising an opportunity can just be a case of having the right connections and knowing the right people.”
Working with small businesses
Having co-founded several consultancy companies, including VisionRealisation and TherapeutAix, Bob has always been passionate about lending support to small businesses. In drug discovery and development, there is a huge strength in having worked for a large organisation and being able to learn from people in different disciplines across all areas of a project. Bob explains: “Leaders of smaller companies often have not had the opportunity to experience the full scope of a drug discovery project, which is where we as consultancies can step in and, with an understanding of the bigger picture, help fill in any gaps. I always find working with these, smaller, dynamic businesses very rewarding.”
The future of platelet function testing
Bob’s aspiration is to have platelet function tests used increasingly as part of the secondary pharmacology tests early on in the drug discovery process. He adds:
“Platelet related issues are currently often discovered fairly late within the drug discovery journey. If earlier platelet testing was put in place, this would be able to pre-empt these issues, de-risk projects, save money and reduce wasted time and effort.”
