David Gilles
Chief Technical Officer
David Gilles
Chief Technical Officer
David Gilles is the founding member of PsiloSterics. He started his career as the Director of R&D at BioSynthetic Technologies. While at BioSynthetic, David developed novel molecular architectures and scaled the synthesis of new compounds that remain in commercial production today. In particular, David oversaw the design and enantioselective GMP production of the company’s proprietary 9- and 10-PAHSA analogs, which are currently in pre-clinical evaluation at Harvard Medical School as potent anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic agents. The work by David and his team was critical to the success of Biosynthetic, leading to the company’s acquisition by The Heritage Group in 2018.
David also brings a wealth of expertise in designing, synthesizing, and characterizing psychoactive drugs. He spent nearly 10 years as a student and graduate researcher at the University of Hawaii creating novel cannabinoid analogs, prodrugs and targeted covalent inhibitors. Notably, his research played a key role in the elucidation of the cannabinoid receptor binding pocket and the first crystal structure of Cannabinoid Receptor 1, the principal target of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
David holds a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Hawaii.
