Dora Menchaca

Dora Menchaca, 45, of Santa Monica led a drug research team at Amgen, the Thousand Oaks biotechnology firm. That mission took her to Washington, where she briefed Food and Drug Administration officials on a new prostate cancer drug before heading home Tuesday.

“She was passionate about trying to develop these drugs to help the patients,” said a co-worker, David Goodkin.

She and her husband of 18 years, Earl Dorsey, had two children, Jaryd, 5, and Imani, 18, a University of Portland student and soccer player.

Amgen colleagues remembered Menchaca, who had a doctorate in epidemiology from UCLA, as an energetic researcher who worked through the night when necessary.

“Dora was always a champion for the patient,” CEO Kevin Sharer and other top managers said in a company statement. “Her passion and belief in doing whatever it takes to help patients and advance science will have a lasting impact.”

“She had the greatest laugh,” said her colleague and friend MaryAnn Foote. “She was always laughing.”