Eliquis is the leading small molecule pharmaceutical in the world, but not many are aware that a multiple award-winning Goan scientist was instrumental in the discovery of apixaban, sold under the brand name Eliquis, an anticoagulant medication used to treat and prevent blood clots and to prevent stroke in people with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.
Donald Pinto, who has worked in the areas of immunology and cardiovascular diseases for over 35 years, acknowledges that his love for chemistry was inculcated during his studies in Goa, where a professor at Goa University only instilled in him the beauty of the science but made it a very interesting subject to get excited about.
EARLY LIFE
Donald Pinto was born in Nairobi-Kenya to parents who took their dreams of a better future to Kenya in the early part of the 1900s.
“In the mid-’60s, they moved back to Goa to enjoy retirement, and importantly to make sure their children had a decent education. My parents hail from Benaulim and Moira. When they moved back to Goa, we settled in Ucassaim. There were several reasons for us moving to Ucassaim, but the proximity to St Xavier’s College in Ucassaim/Bastora was more appealing to them,” recalled Pinto.
"It was here my brothers spent their early college years and subsequently went on to pursue their professional careers."
Pinto said his early childhood began in the friendly confines of Ucassaim where the energy of youngsters was abound.
EDUCATION
“I attended Holy Cross High School in Bastora where I obtained my SSC degree. Holy Cross Bastora was a convent school which later converted to a co-ed education institution. In fact, in my SSC class, I was one of two boys in a class of approximately 30. It was a wonderful experience which kind off prepared me for what I would encounter in college,” said Pinto.
“On completion of my SSC, I attended St Xavier’s College in Mapusa, where I obtained my B.Sc. degree in Chemistry and Physics with first-class honours. While in St Xavier’s College, I took a holistic approach to education and participated in multiple extracurricular activities be it in individual sports or athletics.”
Pinto won the 10K individual walking race in Goa and came second in the all-Bombay University sports meet. He also participated in multiple sporting events, some of which were at the Bombay University level.
On completion of his B.Sc. degree, Pinto moved to the Center of Post Graduation Studies in Panaji.
“I graduated in Organic chemistry with an M.Sc. degree with first-class distinction honours. At this institution, I was shaped in what I was going to be in the future, a scientist that would excel in the area of chemistry. In particular, I owed this to my teacher and mentor Dr S K Paknikar, emeritus professor at Goa University. He not only instilled in us the beauty of the science but made it a very interesting subject to get excited about.”
After a stellar academic education, Pinto was accepted to continue his higher education (PhD) at the State University of New York (SUNY at Buffalo).
“I moved to the US in 1980 in what was going to be a very challenging but rewarding PhD degree. Buffalo was very special to me as it was in close proximity to Toronto, Canada where the rest of my siblings settled. I completed my PhD degree in the mid ’80s,” recalled Pinto.
“University education in the US was tough as I had to take subjects that were literally new for me while my colleagues had already a leg up on me as they were exposed to some of this work in their undergraduate studies.”
“It came with a lot of sleepless nights and networking with my fellow students to get me up to speed on the subject matter. Part of the PhD included active research where I was exposed to synthetic molecule design strategies. With a lot of hard work, I successfully completed my PhD degree and moved to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY for my post-doctoral fellowship. The training I got here prepared me for what was going to be a career in the pharma world," said Pinto.
