While decades of research have helped lengthen life spans, chronic diseases, and other health issues continue to pose challenges due to various reasons, including lifestyle changes and imbalances of available healthcare coverage.
Deb Kelly, PhD, a recent Marquis Who’s Who honoree, professor of biomedical engineering, and executive director of Structural Oncology LLC, uses her research and innovative technologies to investigate the molecular culprits of disease and improve human health. She hopes to expand health coverage to underserved communities.
Building a Biomedical Research Career
Before starting her biomedical career, Kelly earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Old Dominion University in 1994 and a Master of Science in chemistry from her alma mater in 1996. In 2003, she completed a PhD in molecular biophysics from Florida State University.
Kelly’s research expertise was built through her time at Old Dominion University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Florida State University’s Institute of Molecular Biophysics. She was also a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School.
During the early stages of her career, Kelly gained valuable expertise in education at Virginia Tech’s Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, now the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion. As a seasoned researcher with years of expertise in biomedical engineering, education, and more, she shines as the executive director of a growing startup company, Structural Oncology LLC.
In this role, Kelly aims to combat cancer at the molecular level by employing highly precise imaging technology. This enables her to study protein influencers at the core of the disease.
Through her academic journey, Kelly has built a world-class operation in biomedical research. As her career advanced, however, she witnessed the devastation that vulnerable individuals experience due to health inequities. Kelly seeks to counter such disparities by spearheading new initiatives that heavily incorporate principles of inclusivity, with an emphasis on women’s health.
Structural Oncology LLC
Kelly has an excellent track record in performing academic research and directing multi-million-dollar funded programs in materials and life sciences. Her knowledge of high-level team-building skills, authentic leadership, and outstanding business acumen, combined with her exceptional mentorship of early career professionals, has fueled her new startup venture.
Structural Oncology LLC was developed to have a greater impact on societal changes. It aims, in part, to create a new national imaging center to study the atoms that sustain life. For Kelly, improving health starts with identifying malicious molecules before they damage human tissues.
Kelly’s Goals for Accessible Healthcare
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, society has become more aware of the potential of at-home rapid tests for purposes of early detection. With cancer patients believed to be very vulnerable to recurrence, Kelly wants to develop rapid tests to help identify certain cancers earlier in the disease process. She envisions these devices can be linked to smartphone apps that utilize AI for health forecasting. These tools have the unrealized potential to expand coverage for underserved communities or rural populations at greater distances from healthcare providers.
Kelly has garnered roughly 15 grants for her research and has managed a $7 million research portfolio throughout her career. She has shared these achievements with outstanding colleagues at both Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University.
