ILYA OKUN

Sr Director Discovery Biology

Ilya Okun is a respected expert in Discovery Biology, with broad executive experience in biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology. Dr. Okun has more than 40 years of academic and pharmaceutical industry research and development experience. During those years Dr. Okun led a wide range of drug discovery and research programs, including studies of pathways and therapeutic targets involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as G- protein-coupled receptors, ion pumps, and ion channels.
Dr. Okun has served as the Vice President of Biology and Chief Technology Officer at ChemDiv, Inc. since 2001, where he set up two biotechnology departments and led numerous STTR programs. Before joining ChemDiv, he was a co-founder of and Vice President at AXIOM Biotechnologies Inc., where he developed a novel technological platform for cell-based characterization of drug-receptor interactions. Previously, he was a Senior Scientist at ImmunoPharmaceutics, Inc., where he was responsible for development, implementation, and deployment of molecular and cell pharmacology assays that led to the discovery of a potent and selective antagonist of Endothelin A receptor, now in Phase III of clinical studies. From 1965 to 1991, he worked as Senior Scientist/Deputy Department Head at Institute of Photobiology of the Belarus National Academy of Sciences, where he studied membrane signal transduction mechanisms.

Dr. Okun has co-authored 82 scientific articles and has 13 issued patents including 7 US patents. He received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Belarus National Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Photobiology, Minsk, Belarus.