Philanthropist in a lab coat

Elite chemist Jeffery Kelly, PhD, values the people and organizations that have supported the investigations in his laboratory at Scripps Research over the years. “We’re so appreciative of our philanthropic funding that empowers us to do the meticulous, cutting-edge research required for the development of first-in-class drugs,” he says.

One of those drugs, Vyndaqel (tafadimis), stops protein plaque accumulation and pathology progression in the neurodegenerative disease called familial amyloid polyneuropathy and in the cardiomyopathy called senile systemic amyloidosis. Moreover, Vyndaqel seems to ameliorate the dementia and cerebrovascular bleeds in the transthyretin amyloidoses, and that is of particular interest to the millions of individuals in the U.S. living with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s because those diseases also involve accumulation of protein plaque within the brain.

While voicing appreciation for those who support scientific research, Kelly also quietly joins their philanthropic ranks, regularly making personal donations to institute priorities. When Scripps Research launched a campaign to endow its graduate school, for example, he was one of the first faculty members to contribute. And he’s included the institute in his estate planning, making it the beneficiary of his retirement benefits.

It’s pretty simple,” he explains. “This is my way of giving back. I can’t think of a better gift than improving the quality of life for humankind and pushing toward the frontiers of science.

Fortunately for humankind, Kelly’s retirement is not imminent. He wants to tackle more diseases and develop more first-in-class drugs. With his unparalleled talent, dedication and generosity, success is likely.