Nancy J Kelley, JD, MPP is a seasoned executive, lawyer, and serial entrepreneur within the life sciences industry.
Leadership history
Ms. Kelley has over twenty years of executive management and board experience in starting, growing, and restructuring organizations, raising capital, recruiting diverse management teams, creating and implementing strategic plans, developing real estate, developing internet-based information platforms, data warehouses and marketing/branding. She has a particularly deep understanding of the healthcare, life science and research fields and has in-depth knowledge of the related legal, business, government, non-profit and academic sectors.
Ms. Kelley's prior leadership history includes work in scientific institutions, life science companies and life science real estate development.
Ms. Kelley's work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, nature, Science, Forbes, WIRED, STAT, MIT Technology Review, HuffPost, FAST Company and Biotechniques, amongst other publications.
NANCY J KELLEY + ASSOCIATES:
Building a Sustainable and Equitable World
Nancy is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nancy J Kelley + Associates (NJK+A). NJK+A, a leader at the intersection of life sciences and business, builds things that matter for science and medicine in order to accelerate breakthroughs towards a more sustainable and equitable future. NJK+A is the life science innovator’s partner of choice with four major areas of expertise: building game-changing institutions; building sustainable life science real estate environments; conducting pioneering market research; and, building innovative ecosystems through community engagement.
KYTTARO THERAPEUTICS:
Unlocking the Power of Genetically Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells
15 years of global research by Apceth Biopharma had resulted in an extensive patent portfolio of 61 patents for four families of modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) with applications for a variety of diseases such as Graft vs Host Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, Lung Diseases, Glioblastoma, and Neurodegenerative Diseases. In 2019, Apceth sold its cell manufacturing operations to Hitachi Chemical for $90 million and transferred its patent portfolio of MSC’s to Junctucell, a German company founded by one of the scientific officers of Apceth. Junctucell wished to obtain investment that would allow continued research into its MSCs and commercialization of the technology through clinical trials.
Nancy J Kelley conducted an extensive technology evaluation and due diligence on the patent portfolio of Apceth Biopharma and brought in business partners to form a US Delaware corporation named Kyttaro Therapeutics with exclusive rights to the patent portfolio. NJK+A then formed a Scientific Advisory Board, created partnerships with a global clinical research organization for clinical trials management, and engaged clinical partners from high quality US universities, thereby positioning the company for fundraising.
Kyttaro is poised to commence clinical trials in Europe and the US for GvHD, and Diabetes applications. The Company is now seeking clinical partners and investment.
At the Cove Launch Event
THE COVE JC:
An Innovation Ecosystem for the 21st Century
The Cove Jersey City is a breakthrough lifestyle community for the twenty-first century driven by science. A global hub for academic and commercial life science, tech, and medical entities, it offers an unrivalled environment for fostering discovery while also building a local ecosystem on the principles of sustainability, health and wellness, and social equity. As the flagship destination for the sciences in New Jersey and the greater New York metropolitan area, The Cove drives economic growth for all.
Nancy J Kelley worked with Ennead Architects and the development team to create a Master Plan for the site. Ms. Kelley also worked with a branding team to create the brand for The Cove JC, the messaging, and a communications and press strategy for the announcement of the development, including the launch of a website and social media strategy. She also worked with numerous public and private entities to establish strategic relationships for The Cove. Finally, Nancy J Kelley and Ennead Architects conceived of, and executed a Launch Event in partnership with Liberty Science Center. Ms. Kelley also contacted multiple potential financial partners for the life science component of the development and facilitated the due diligence process.
BUILDS BIO+:
Convening the Life Sciences Ecosystem for Growth
Builds Bio+ was co-founded by Nancy J Kelley +Associates, Jaros, Baum & Bolles, Fried Frank, Hunter Roberts Construction Group, and Sabey Data Center Properties in 2018. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership-driven organization, Builds Bio+ aims to connect all segments of the life science ecosystem in major regional clusters through curated events, comprehensive research, industry reports and educational programs. Initially focused on New York City, today, the organization operates throughout the Greater New York Metro Region (New York, New Jersey, CT), Philadelphia and London. Builds Bio+ memberships consist of over 100 corporate and individual members, with nearly 2,000 people connected by an online membership portal. Over 10,000 people have attended Builds Bio+ events or viewed them online. More than 20,000 monthly visitors visit Builds Bio+ newly launched website.
PERSONALIZED WELLNESS MEDICAL INSTITUTE:
Changing the Health Paradigm from Treatment to Prevention of Disease
In 2016, a national foundation dedicated to improving human health and well-being and advancing the cause of mind/body spiritual healing, education and research wished to create a strategic plan for a new medical research institute. This Personalized Wellness Institute would examine the effect of mind/body practices on health and wellbeing through a systems biology approach that included mind/body practices (such as meditation, yoga, breathing techniques, diet, massage, strength training and regular sleep) and the use of new technologies in fields such as genomics, epigenomics, the microbiome, artificial intelligence and integrative medicine. The Personalized Wellness Medical Institute would focus on creating hard clinical data around recent developments and new discoveries in this area.
NJK+A conducted a strategic assessment of the scientific state of the mind/body connection and personalized wellness/medical approaches in order to assess a new research institute in the field, its opportunities, and market potential, as well as the feasibility of launching as a new organization. NJK+A then developed an integrated strategic plan for a new Personalized Wellness Medical Institute, encompassing mission/vision and organizational, financial, and operational options and strategies. The plan suggested areas of research focus, proposed collaborations with researchers and educational institutions throughout the country, faculty recruitment, the development of intellectual property, industry collaborations and community/ patient engagement as well as the dissemination of results through education and training and policy development. Governance structures, funding mechanisms and financial requirements were also defined.
GP-WRITE AND THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERING BIOLOGY: Advancing the Field of Genome Engineering
The Human Genome Project (HGP-read) aimed to read a human genome. Successfully completed in 2003, HGP-read is now widely recognized as one of the great feats of exploration, one that sparked a global revolution in science and medicine, particularly in genomic-based diagnostics and therapeutics. But the understanding of the human genome – and the full benefits to humanity from this knowledge – remains incomplete. In 2016, Nancy J Kelley served as part of a leadership group (with Jef Boeke, George Church and Andrew Hessel) to create a Grand Challenge – GP-write and the associated nonprofit Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology. Focused on writing and building the human (and other) genomes, the GP-write Founding Leadership Team hoped that the project would spark advances in biology, medicine, energy, agriculture, chemicals and bioremediation, as well as improve technologies related to DNA synthesis.
GP-write is an open, international research project led by a multi-disciplinary group of scientific leaders. The overarching goal of such an effort is to understand the blueprint for life provided by the HGP-read. The GP-write Leadership Group held four organizing meetings at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in NYC, Harvard Medical School and the New York Genome Center, the latest consisting of 250 attendees from 10 countries. GP-write also formed an international scientific consortium consisting of nearly 200 scientists, affiliated with more than 100 institutions/ companies in 16 countries. The Consortium published five scientific publications, including a Commentary in Science in 2016 and a Policy Forum in Science in October, 2019.
Photo credit: Valery Rizzo
Photo credit: Valery Rizzo
THE BIODESIGN CHALLENGE:
Inspiring Entrepreneurs and Innovation at the Intersection of Biotechnology, Art and Design
Nancy J Kelley partnered with Founder Dan Grushkin to launch the Biodesign Challenge in 2015. The Biodesign Challenge premiered at the BioFabricate Conference hosted in NYC by Microsoft, with six top design school teams, exploring future applications for engineering biology in architecture, communication, energy, food, materials, medicine, transportation and water. In 2024, 50+ schools across 15 countries participated in Biodesign Challenge, now an international education program for high school and college students. Finalists from schools across the globe gather in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art and Parsons School of Design to showcase their projects before leading thinkers in academia, industry, art, and design, and 400+ audience members. Teams compete for prizes, including the coveted grand prize—the Glass Microbe.
BDC alumni have gone on to exhibit their projects in public forums such as the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, MIT Museum, the London Design Festival, the Gregg Museum, and the Rhode Island School of Design, amongst others. Some BDC alumni have also turned their projects into startups, raising over $30 million in investments.
NJK+A was a sponsor of the BDC book, Grow the Future, in which Biodesign pioneers and BDC alumni explore the future of biodesign and its role in shaping people’s identities, cultures, and relationships with the living environment.
ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE/ OMNISEQ:
Building an Engine for Precision Oncology
Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) had developed an innovative next generation sequencing-based cancer diagnostic and had a need to determine the feasibility of commercialization and spin off. Nancy J Kelley conducted technology assessments, developed a feasibility study, market assessment of the cancer diagnostic market, detailed financials models and a comprehensive business plan, before overseeing the creation and commercial spin off of a new company named OmniSeq in 2015, including attracting financial commitments over $25 million. OmniSeq was acquired by Labcorp in 2021 after launching an expanded genomic and immune profiling test to advance Precision Oncology.
A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY:
Meeting Global Challenges for Competitiveness and Employment
When the Sloan Foundation decided to fund a strategic planning process for synthetic biology in the US, they turned to Nancy J Kelley, a proven big thinker in science. Nancy J Kelley led an initiative to develop a strategic plan to advance the field of synthetic biology in the United States, conducting over 110 interviews, a review of nearly 500 documents, attending major SynBio events, interviewing relevant institutions, and engaging over 300 members of the Synthetic Biology community with their findings. As part of the strategic planning, Nancy J Kelley + Associates (NJK+A) created 9 monthly working groups comprised of 100 participants to consider foundational questions for SynBio.
The initial findings and recommendations were summarized in a report, “Engineering Biology to Address Global Problems”, published in February 2014, the most comprehensive survey and evaluation of SynBio done to that date. The report was followed by the “Strategic plan for Synthetic Biology in the United States” published in May 2014. Industrial Biotechnology also published an Industry Report in June 2014, “Engineering Biology to Address Global Problems: Synthetic Biology Markets, Needs and Applications” and a Commentary by Nancy J Kelley calling for a new national center for Synthetic Biology. NJK+A drafted and circulated a proposal for a Center of Excellence for Engineering Biology following an Invitation-only meeting held at the Sloan Foundation’s offices in April 2015.
New York Genome Center
NEW YORK GENOME CENTER:
Building a World-Class Genomics Research Center
Ms. Kelley served as the Founding Executive Director of the New York Genome Center. From its establishment in 2010 by its 11 Institutional Founding Members, she led the Center from a start up to a fully operational, world class genomics research center and provider of cutting-edge sequencing and bioinformatics services, raising $110 million to do so. Many of NYGC’s foundational elements, such as its Pilot Laboratory at Rockefeller University, the NYGC Innovation Center, and key clinical and technology partnerships, were established under her leadership. Ms. Kelley oversaw the selection and build out of NYGC’s permanent facility at 101 Avenue of the Americas in New York City, which opened in September, 2013, and was the first adaptive reuse of office to life science space in New York City. She also recruited a large scientific and management team as well as several of the Center’s Associate Members.
EAST RIVER SCIENCE PARK:
Building Commercial Life Sciences in New York City
Before her time at NYGC, Ms. Kelley was a Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Operations Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE), where she was a leader on the East River Science Park project, a commercial translational research development in Manhattan, which encompasses over 1 million square feet of life science space. It currently houses a continuum of life science users from early-stage companies to public health organizations, academic medical centers and large pharmaceuticals, as well as scientific support services.
COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL AND S&SC LIFE SCIENCES:
Launching International Life Sciences Real Estate Practice
Prior to her employment at ARE, Ms. Kelley was Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Life Sciences, worldwide, for Spaulding & Slye Colliers and Colliers International (“Colliers”) where clients included, amongst others, the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Boston University/Boston Medical Center; and Novartis, Pfizer, Genzyme and Perkin Elmer. At the time of Ms. Kelley’s departure, the Colliers Life Sciences Group consisted of more than 110 professionals specializing in structured finance and investment sales, development services, construction, leasing and facility management. The Life Sciences Group had 6 million square feet of life science space under development and managed over 3.5 million square feet of life science facility space.
ALCHEMY 2004 AND ELEMENTS 2007:
Pioneering Life Sciences Real Estate Research
In 2004, Ms. Kelley was the principal author/editor of Alchemy, a first-of-its-kind Global Life Sciences Real Estate Report intended to help decision-makers from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, together with research and health care institutions, speed scientific advances from bench to bedside and beyond. She is also the principal author/editor of Elements, 2007, a follow-on publication that was released by Colliers at BIO 2007. Ms. Kelley has written and spoken extensively on these topics.
"This report addresses the growing need for knowledge about a very specialized life science real estate product and the national and worldwide life science real estate markets. It is the first report of its kind."
- Nancy J Kelley, Alchemy, 2004
MCLEAN HOSPITAL:
Real Estate Master Planning in Life Sciences
Ms. Kelley gained real estate master planning experience in the life sciences arena when she chaired a task force on behalf of the Town of Belmont, Massachusetts that managed the master planning, negotiation and redevelopment of 240 acres of land in Belmont owned by McLean Hospital, Partners Healthcare, and Massachusetts General Hospital. During this three-year process, the McLean Hospital Task Force negotiated an agreement with McLean Hospital that rezoned the property from residential to commercial use and resulted in benefits for the Town of Belmont totaling over $75 million. The Agreement was endorsed by major news editorial Boards, approved overwhelmingly by Town committees and passed by a two-thirds referendum in the Town of Belmont.
NANCY J KELLEY ON TECHNOLOGY:
"Technology not only changes the way the world works, but it changes the way we work in the world."
As an advisor and founder of growth companies, Ms. Kelley acquired years of experience in growing life science companies from start-up through development into established enterprises.
As a former corporate securities junior partner at the Boston law firm of Hale and Dorr (now Wilmer Hale) her practice focused on a range of corporate and securities matters for leading private and publicly traded high technology companies and investment banks in the biotechnology, medical instrumentation, and health care industries. Her specific expertise included: the private placement and public offering of securities, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investment, research and development agreements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, technology transfer and intellectual property protection.
In addition to her private sector experience, Ms. Kelley has a broad background in the nonprofit, public, and academic sectors.
Ms. Kelley at The White House
Foundational Experience and Distinguished Service
In 1988-1989, Ms. Kelley was appointed a White House Fellow and served as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President. While studying at Harvard University, she co-founded and led a research and teaching project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Center for Business and Government entitled, “The Community Revitalization Project.” She also founded and taught the first clinical course on social entrepreneurship at Harvard Law School, after having participated in the founding of City Year and other social ventures. In 1982, she was appointed a Truman Scholar from Connecticut.
Ms. Kelley currently serves or has served on Boards for The New York Genome Center, The Jackson Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Whitehead Institute, amongst others.
- Harvard Law School, J.D., June 1988
- John F. Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P., June 1988. Areas of Concentration: Business/Government Relations. Kennedy Fellow, 1984, Dively Fellow, 1985, 1987.
- Yale University, B.A. Economics, magna cum laude, 1984. Graduation Banner Bearer. Saybrook College, 1984.
- Manchester Community College, A.S. Accounting, 1982. Valedictorian; 1982 Truman Scholar from CT; 1989 Distinguished Alumni Award; Featured Alumni in 2001 Statewide Ad Campaign; Commencement Speaker, May 2014.
- Harvard Business School, May 1997. Continuing Education: Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management.