David Platt, PhD, serves as CEO, CSO, and Chairman of Bioxytran, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing carbohydrate-based therapeutics for virology, hypoxia, and degenerative diseases.
A recognized expert in carbohydrate chemistry, he brings over 40 years of research experience in galectins, carbohydrate-binding proteins that play a critical role in viral entry, immune response, and disease progression. David Platt was the first person to express the Galectin-3 protein for research into its chemical structure and coined the term "Galectin" in his 1992 scientific publication. Since that pioneering work, the field of galectin biology has expanded dramatically, generating more than 158,000 scientific publications, patents, textbook chapters, dissertations, and conference abstracts alongside standard journal articles. Forward citation count, the times cited by others across all fields of medicine and biology, is over 800,000 citations worldwide.
He pioneered the development of Galectins, Galactose Binding Lectins (Gal-Lectins), a novel galectin-targeting therapeutic platform leveraging carbohydrate-binding protein inhibition to disrupt viral entry pathways and modulate immune dysregulation in antiviral and immunological applications. His work in this area has helped shape new approaches to antiviral and immunological therapies.
He is also co-author of Carbohydrate Drug Design, a comprehensive scientific reference exploring the growing role of carbohydrates in modern drug discovery and therapeutic development. The book examines carbohydrate-based drug mechanisms, protein-glycan interactions, cancer cell invasion pathways, carbohydrate-derived therapeutics, drug delivery systems, metabolic pathways, and medical device applications. It also highlights the structural and functional significance of galactomannans, hyaluronans, and modified sugar compounds, including thio-, imino-, and carba-sugars in pharmaceutical research and disease targeting.
Over the course of his career, he founded three publicly traded companies and contributed to the creation of nearly $1 billion in investor value, while raising more than $150 million in public markets. He has also been directly involved in the development of multiple drug candidates, guiding several through FDA-regulated clinical trials and advancing two to Phase II.
In addition to his entrepreneurial work, he is a co-author of two textbooks and has published numerous journal articles and patents spanning glycobiology, drug design, and biotechnology innovation.
At Bioxytran (OTCQB: BIXT), based in Newton, Massachusetts, he leads the development of platform technologies, including ProLectin-M, a broad-spectrum antiviral program based on galectin inhibition, in addition to oxygen transport solutions designed to address stroke, hypoxia, and neurodegenerative conditions.
He earned his PhD from the Weizmann Institute and completed postdoctoral research at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. He continues to contribute to the field through ongoing research, publications, and thought leadership in glycovirology, galectin-3 biology, and next-generation therapeutic design.
