Dr. Jeffery W. Kelly is a distinguished scientist and leader in chemical biology at The Scripps Research Institute where he holds the Lita Annenberg Hazen Professorship of Chemistry. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1982 and completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 followed by postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University. His career trajectory has included significant leadership roles including Dean of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies from 2000 to 2008 and Vice President of Academic Affairs from 2000 to 2006 at Scripps. Dr. Kelly has also served as Chairman of Molecular and Experimental Medicine from 2008 to 2017 demonstrating his commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry and medicine.
Dr. Kelly's groundbreaking research has focused on understanding the fundamental principles of protein folding and misfolding with particular emphasis on diseases caused by protein aggregation. His laboratory pioneered the development of tafamidis Vyndaqel the first approved drug for transthyretin amyloidosis which stabilizes the transthyretin protein and prevents its pathological aggregation. This work which began in the 1990s culminated in a structure-based drug design strategy published in 2003 representing a paradigm shift in treating protein misfolding disorders. Dr. Kelly co-founded FoldRx Pharmaceuticals in 2003 to develop tafamidis which received European Drug Agency approval in 2011 and Japanese approval in 2013 before being acquired by Pfizer demonstrating the profound clinical impact of his scientific insights.
Beyond his landmark discovery Dr. Kelly has significantly shaped the field through founding multiple biotechnology companies including Proteostasis Therapeutics in 2010 and Misfolding Diagnostics in 2012 extending his impact across the therapeutic landscape for protein misfolding diseases. He has served on numerous scientific advisory boards including Yumanity Therapeutics and Proteostasis Therapeutics and held influential positions such as Chairman of the Therapeutic Advisory Panel for Pfizer's Orphan and Rare Diseases program. With over 390 publications and an h-index of 105 Dr. Kelly has trained numerous scientists who have gone on to successful careers placing 44 trainees in academia and over 70 in the biotechnology sector. His ongoing research continues to explore novel therapeutic strategies targeting proteostasis capacity with the potential to address a wide spectrum of currently untreatable neurodegenerative and systemic amyloid diseases.
