Don Payan

Don Payan, MD, is an accomplished biotechnology scientist-executive with over 25 years of experience in the field. He is the founder of two successful companies, Khepri and Rigel, where he led highly productive multi-discipline drug discovery teams in the areas of Immunology, Oncology, and Muscle Wasting diseases. Dr. Payan holds a BS in Physics and MD from Stanford University, an MS in Physics from MIT, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He also completed a fellowship in Allergy Immunology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, also at HMS. Dr. Payan's contributions to the field of biotechnology include co-authoring over 200 published articles and chapters and being an inventor on over 60 issued patents. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

At Rigel, Dr. Payan identified and in-licensed the founding technology, secured initial funding, and was a key member of the team raising money for the company in private financings and public offerings. He built a research organization that identified and internally discovered eight new small molecule chemical entities leading to twelve INDs, and currently, a successful Phase 3 program in the treatment of ITP, leading to the first oral SYK inhibitor on the market for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Payan was responsible for directing 16 collaboration projects between Rigel scientists and 10 different partners in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Payan's experience and expertise in biotechnology make him a valuable asset to the field. Currently serving as the CEO of Torch Therapeutics, Dr. Payan's leadership, knowledge, and innovative approach will continue to drive progress in the development of treatments for diseases that impact millions of people worldwide.