Protein Homeostasis: Novel Strategies for Degenerative Diseases, Jeff Kelly, PhD

Jeff Kelly, Department of Chemistry professor at Scripps Research, examines the bioorganic and biophysical chemistry of aberrant conformational changes in proteins associated with degenerative diseases, seeking to develop new approaches for preventing these diseases with purposefully designed small molecules. His mechanistic studies of protein aggregation led to the discovery of tafamidis, marketed by Pfizer as Vyndaqel®.

The inaugural Spectrum symposium, hosted on February 20, 2019 in La Jolla, California, convened thought leaders from across the country for discussions around accelerating delivery of novel medicines to the patients desperately in need of new therapies. Over 200 attendees-- foundation representatives, philanthropists, biopharma leaders, healthcare investors and research scientists-- listened to Scripps Research scientists share their basic and translational research efforts. The symposium inspired follow-up discussions about potential initiatives and collaborations to impact public health.