Don Kirkpatrick, PhD
Veteran proteomics innovator shaping data-driven decisions in therapeutic research
About Don
Don Kirkpatrick obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry at U. of Oklahoma and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Toxicology at the U. of Arizona. Don’s thesis work spawned ~25 years of work focused at the intersection of the ubiquitin signaling and mass spectrometry (MS) proteomics. Stirred by exciting advances in these two fields, Don joined Prof. Steve Gygi’s lab at Harvard Medical School in 2003 as a post-doc, then continued on in 2007 to an independent career as a Scientist at Genentech. During his ~14 year tenure, he rose through the ranks to become a Director and Staff Scientist overseeing Discovery Proteomics. In 2021, Don made the jump to help launch Interline Therapeutics, where as the Chief Technology Officer he established the company’s proteomics and bioinformatics capabilities and positioned the platform as a centerpiece of drug discovery. Together with his team, he continued this work at Xaira, where he served as a Senior Vice President responsible for integrating proteomics with functional genomics and AI/ML to propel next generation drug discovery. Don has published 4 patents and >95 peer reviewed papers that have been cumulatively cited >15000 times, while generating data to support clinical advancement of oncology, neuroscience and inflammatory disease programs. Don currently serves as the founder and President of K48 Consulting LLC.