mark kelly phd

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Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

Member biography, mark r. kelley , phd.

Faculty appointments

• Betty and Earl Herr Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research , IU School of Medicine
• Professor for Pediatrics , Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research , IU School of Medicine
• Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology , IU School of Medicine
• Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology , IU School of Medicine
• Professor of Ophthalmology , IU School of Medicine
• Full member Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center , Experimental and Developmental Therapeutics

Research interests

Dr. Kelley’s studies have focused on the enzyme apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/ Redox effector factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1)—mechanistically as well as a therapeutic target in cancers and other diseases where APE1/Ref-1 plays a role. APE1/Ref-1 is unique to the Base Excision Repair Pathway (BER), with dual repair and redox signaling functions that are crucial to cellular viability. He has concentrated on teasing apart these functions and in the process, has discovered and has been developing redox-specific inhibitors of Ref-1. This original work was the impetus for becoming Chief Scientific Founder and Officer of Apexian Pharmaceutical targeting Ref-1 to produce new therapeutics for some of the deadliest and hardest-to-treat cancers, as well as other indications. Apexian completed a phase I clinical trial using oral APX3330 in solid tumor patients (NCT03375086). This trial established safety, expected PK, target engagement, and responses in patients in the trial. Also, a phase II trial using oral APX3330 which was licensed to Ocuphire Pharma for DR completed in 2023 (NCT04692688). Following a successful EOP2 meeting with the FDA, a phase III trial in DR using APX3330 will be initiated. Dr Kelley and collaborators are also developing new chemical entities based on APE1/Ref-1 redox inhibition for future IND development and advancement to cancer clinical trials.

Post-doctoral Fellowship - The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 1984-1987

Ph.D. - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 1984

M.S. - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 1981

B.A. - DePauw University, Greencastle, IN 1979

Publications

Headlines & highlights.

• IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers receive $2.4 million NCI grant to develop new pancreatic cancer treatments (Nov. 2023)
• IU cancer center receives American Cancer Society funding for research, education programs (Mar. 2023)
• Moving IU innovation to market to improve Hoosier health (Mar. 2023)
• NIH funding expands collaboration on ocular neovascularization (Aug. 2020)
• Funding to help researchers study link between high blood sugar, cancer (June 2019)
• IU researchers awarded $2.3 million to continue studies on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (Nov. 2018)
• Clinical trial begins with drug developed at IU (Mar. 2018)
• IU researchers awarded $2.9 million to study chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (May 2017)
• IU doctor develops drug that could effectively treat pancreatic cancer (Nov. 2016)
• IU Simon Cancer Center Scientific Report (Jan. 2016)
• IU Simon Cancer Center Scientific Report (Jan. 2014)

Our highly collaborative research environment allows for amazing teamwork to advance our state-of-the-art science and research from our labs to the clinic. Mark Kelley, PhD

Dr. Kelley has been consistently funded by NIH for over 31 years (since 1993) and is currently funded by 3 NCI grants as well as a NEI grant from NIH in addition to a number of other foundation grants. He directs the IUSCCC American Cancer Society (ACS) Institutional grant, which has been in place for over 50 years. He has 19 patents and over 203 articles in peer reviewed journals as well as 36 review articles/book chapters in the fields of DNA repair, redox signaling and drug development. Dr. Kelley earned his bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and received his doctoral degree in genetics from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. He completed an ACS postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology at Rockefeller University in New York in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Young, the 2017 Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine, and was an assistant professor at Loyola University Medical School in Chicago prior to joining the Indiana University School of Medicine faculty in 1993. In 2021 he was selected as a Fellow to the prestigious AAAS Science Fellow association. Dr. Kelley and his wife are the parents of two children who have graduated from college and are pursuing their careers.

Research Interests

#researchcurescancer, indiana university melvin and bren simon comprehensive cancer center resources and social media channels.

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From lab to market: Discoveries in Kelley Lab lead to new therapies for multiple diseases

Laura Gates Nov 10, 2023

Mark R. Kelley, PhD

Mark Kelley, PhD, now mentors other IU School of Medicine innovators on the path toward commercialization

When Mark R. Kelley, PhD , was a grad student working with fruit flies in the lab, he never imagined that a discovery made in those early days of his career would lead to potential new therapies for cancer, diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory bowel disease and more.

“Fruit flies led the way for a lot of discoveries in genetics,” said Kelley, the Betty and Earl Herr Professor of Pediatric Oncology Research at Indiana University School of Medicine. “The path from fruit flies, moving to mice and human cells, then developing models in cancer—we’ve been following this one protein for over three decades.”

In science, persistence pays off. Kelley is now leading a pharmaceutical startup and seeing real-world, disease-fighting effects from the molecular compound his lab has developed.

“It’s following the science,” Kelley said. “You’ve got to keep your eyes open, and the key is collaboration.”

Over the years, Kelley has collaborated with colleagues at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research , the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and, most recently, the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute  to develop new therapeutics for a range of diseases all using the APE1 protein inhibitor APX3330, a molecular compound developed in the Kelley Lab  and marketed though Kelley’s startup, Apexian Pharmaceuticals.

In the last 30 years, Kelley has disclosed 61 inventions, been awarded 19 patents and licensed three of his innovative technologies to other companies.

“Once we had the target, I started looking for other diseases where the transcription factors that are regulated by our target protein play a role,” Kelley explained. “The unique thing is our target will block critical pathways in cancers, is anti-angiogenic and it is anti-inflammatory.”

The anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties are what make Kelley’s discovery such a powerful crossover drug for fighting numerous diseases. It can prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, block ocular angiogenesis leading to vision loss, and guard against colitis. A recently completed Phase 2 clinical trial for diabetic retinopathy showed the oral pill could delay worsening of the eyes, potentially reducing the need for eye injections and guarding against loss of vision.

“We have other potential uses in the retinal space, and while we’re working on that, we’re still doing our work in cancer,” Kelley said. “In fact, we recently received a new grant in pancreatic cancer.”

“We always want to give a cancer patient more time with their loved ones and without the terrible side effects (common with chemotherapy),” Fishel said.

Kelley also co-leads the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Accelerator, an initiative launched by the cancer center in 2019 to accelerate the journey from research to the clinic by fostering collaborations between IU researchers, pharmaceutical industry veterans, technology cores and external research organizations. His leadership and expertise are helping IU School of Medicine advance its 2030 Strategic Plan  priorities for translational research.

Kapur and Kelley have collaborated on development of potential therapies using APX3330 in pre-leukemia, leukemia and ulcerative colitis.

“The impact of his research has been widespread on many different diseases that are driven by inflammation and/or DNA damage,” Kapur said.

Paving the way for IU innovators

It's not easy for a scientist to navigate the fast-paced world of life-science startups. The experience and insights Kelley has gained along the way now help other innovators commercialize their discoveries.

“I’ve had a lot of scars and roadblocks doing this over the last 30 years,” Kelley said. “I think we’re really set up now to take discoveries scientists are making and move them forward faster and more efficiently.”

These resources for IU innovators have expanded concurrently with Kelley’s discoveries in the lab.

“I was a tech manager in the late ’90s back when Mark was getting started in his research, so I worked with Mark to get a lot of the initial patents that led to the formation of his company later on,” said Tony Armstrong, JD, MBA , president and CEO of IU Ventures. “It was almost like the Middle Ages when we started this—funding in the life sciences back then was especially hard to get.”

From 1997 to 2000, Armstrong led the protection and commercialization of intellectual property developed within the IU system. He later served as executive director of the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund, providing early-stage investments for collaborative research partnerships for the state of Indiana.

“Mark has persevered and really been a leader for the university and for Indiana in thinking about what we can take from the bench to the bedside,” Armstrong said. “He’s been at this for 25 years, figuring out how to turn his research into a product that will improve people’s lives and alleviate suffering. It’s commendable the diligence, perseverance and grit it has taken to do what he has done.”

Now, as a member of the IU Ventures Investment Committee and mentor with the IU Philanthropic Venture Fund, Kelley helps other faculty members navigate the path toward their own life sciences startups.

Fishel has been working alongside Kelley since she was a PhD student in the late 1990s and admires his ability to move research forward, stretching budgets and building collaborative teams to “achieve great science.”

“He really introduced me to molecular biology and translational research,” Fishel said. “I have always loved to think about how to use the data we get to kill more cancer cells. He has taught me to think about the big picture and how to ask the right questions.”

Fishel, who now has her own lab , continues to work with Kelley to investigate new therapies for difficult-to-treat, aggressive cancers like pancreatic and pediatric sarcomas. Other Kelley lab collaborators include Jill Fehrenbacher, PhD , who received a grant with Kelley  to study the effectiveness of APX3330 to prevent or reverse chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Timothy Corson, PhD , is collaborating with Kelley to explore the same drug’s ability to treat ocular neovascularization .

Kelley is also teaming up with Department of Pediatrics Chair D. Wade Clapp, MD , to lead the newly established Pediatric and Adult Translational Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Training Program  (PACT-D3), supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute. The program will pair fellows and grad students with a cancer center mentor, enabling them to explore career paths in drug development.

“The PACT-D3 program will provide students with an in-depth understanding of what it takes to bring a drug from the lab bench all the way to commercialization,” Kelley said. “There are a lot of additional opportunities to do cancer drug discovery and development in large pharma and biotech, as well as patent law and licensing. Our job is to train students who will contribute to society in the discovery and development of new cancer treatments.”

“He is one of the leading faculty researchers who have become successful entrepreneurs,” Armstrong said. “I can’t think of anybody who gives back more to the university than Mark.”

Kelley, whose research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 30 years, never loses sight of the purpose behind his science, mentorship and entrepreneurism.

“What keeps me going is the ultimate reward of getting new therapies out there to help the people who need it,” Kelley said, “to see your science validated by getting those therapies to patients in clinical trials and, hopefully, see people taking a drug that you developed and having it help them.”

Laura Gates

Laura is senior writer with the Office of Strategic Communications and loves to tell the stories of outstanding students, faculty and staff at IU School of Medicine. A native Hoosier, she has over 25 years of experience in communications, having worked with newspapers and other media organizations in Indiana and Florida, along with small businesses, community groups and non-profit organizations. Before joining IU School of Medicine in January 2020, she was editor-in-chief of a lifestyle magazine serving the community of Estero, Florida.

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Mark C. Kelly

Clinical Associate Professor

Professional Summary

Mark Kelly joined the Department of Economics in the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in 2015, where he is currently serving as a clinical assistant professor. Kelly's research has concentrated on macroeconomic analysis of healthcare systems, the role of demographics in determining the efficiency of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and the effectiveness of foreign aid. His work has been published in Economic Inquiry , the Journal of Macroeconomics and public finance review.

Kelly specializes in teaching macroeconomics, having taught macroeconomic theory at the principles, intermediate and master’s level in both traditional face-to-face and online settings.

• 2015 – PhD, Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
• 2010 – BS, Economics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
• ECO 2307 – Principles of Macroeconomics
• ECO 3307 – Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis
• ECO 5310 – Macroeconomic Analysis in the Global Economy

Research Interests

• Demographics and entitlement reform
• Macroeconomic analysis of healthcare policy
• Foreign aid, healthcare and development

Selected Publications

• Kelly, M.C. (2017). “Health Capital Accumulation, Health Insurance, and Aggregate Outcomes: A Neoclassical Approach,” Journal of Macroeconomics 52 , 1-22.
• Kelly, M.C. (2020). “Medicare For All or Medicare For None? A Macroeconomic Analysis of Healthcare Reform,” Journal of Macroeconomics 63, 103170 .
• Chatterjee, S., M.C. Kelly , and S.J. Turnovsky (2022). "Foreign Aid, Public Investment, and the Informal Economy,"  Economic Inquiry 60(1) , 174-201 .
• Kelly, M.C. (2022). “Growth and Welfare Implications of Mortality Differentials in Unfunded Social Security Systems,” Public Finance Review 50(2), 206-235.
• Kelly, M.C. and M. Kuhn (2022). “Congestion in a Public Health Service: A Macro Approach,” Journal of Macroeconomics 74, 103451

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Mark Kelly, PhD, CSCS

Dr. Mark P. Kelly has been involved with the health and fitness field for more than 30 years; as teacher in colleges and universities; as a personal trainer, group exercise leader, coach; and as an athlete who achieved a national ranking (6 th in 25-29) in duathlons in 1993. He received his B.S. in Kinesiology and Psychology from UCLA. He got his M.S. degree from Louisiana State University, Health Science Center in Physiology, and a Ph.D. in Exercise Science and Education Administration from the University of New Orleans. He is actually finishing another degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Columbia Southern University and hopes to use it for Corporate Wellness and Safety.

He has been a research scientist for universities and many infomercial projects. He has more recently performed research and studies in Osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease. He is on the advisory board for the National Osteoporosis Foundation , the MedFit Education Foundation  and Baraka Community Wellness in Boston, and has developed a 5 level (bone stress) exercise system for trainers, as well as a comprehensive performance training system called “Train SMART”. He hopes to develop a phone app for this system.

Mark was an exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise where he produced many workshops, webinars, presentations at conferences, and training videos. He has spoken nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics, including exercise and aging, and exercise and the brain functions both of these were in Hong Kong. He currently speaks on the uses of exercise for clinical purposes, and its impact on the brain and body. Mark has produced several continuing education products in the medical fitness arena. Mark is a professor in several colleges and universities in Orange County, CA., where Principle-Centered Health- Corporate Wellness & Safety operates. He is still a competitive bowler, trail and mud runner, and has two daughters who keep him on his toes- or sometimes on his back!

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Mark Kelly Tyler

Fully affiliated faculty homiletics and african-american studies.

Ph.D., University of Dayton, 2006 M.Div., Payne Theological Seminary, 1994 B.A., Clark Atlanta University, 1991

Areas of expertise

An ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Tyler has extensive expertise in both theological education and pastoral ministry. Since 2008 he has served as senior pastor of the historic Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. He has taught at Payne Theological Seminary and New Brunswick Theological Seminary in addition to MTSO.

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HM-600: Introduction to Homiletics

HB/NT/HM-735: The Bible and Preaching in African-American Traditions

DM-915: Transforming Mission

DM-917: Preaching for Change

Mark Kelly Ph.D.

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Mark Kelly PhD is research scientist, trader and the Author of the book Dating the Stock Market. Mark has been trading and surviving in the markets for over 30 years and has taken his passion for trading to the next level by developing his inner self. He has discovered the hard way that you can’t control the markets, you can only control yourself and is now using the wisdom he has learned to help other traders get to the next level.

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Commentary | Opinion: Why Harris should pick former…

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Commentary | summer weather lingers the first week of september, commentary | opinion: why harris should pick former astronaut mark kelly as running mate, nancy pelosi’s former chief of staff says arizona senator helps draw strategic contrasts with trump-vance ticket.

Kelly, the son of two police officers, offers considerable star quality as a former astronaut who rode the Space Shuttle into orbit on four occasions. As a Navy pilot who flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm (for which he received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and a fistful of additional honors), he would add valuable military credentials to the ticket.

JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, plays up his Marine service, but it is worth noting he was a correspondent. Vance is the guy who shows up with a laptop to write a story about the combat achievements of pilots like Kelly.

Vance rose from an impoverished youth, went to Yale Law School, became a venture capitalist and wrote a book about his Appalachian roots; now, like Donald Trump, he professes empathy for the working class but embraces tax policies that enrich hedge fund managers at the expense of the working and middle class, while creating massive new debt.

Kelly went to the Merchant Marine Academy and has written books about the inspiring struggles of his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, after a devastating assassination attempt, and about the need for responsible gun policies. Kelly’s leadership for gun reforms supported by over 70% of Americans is likely to generate broad enthusiasm, especially among younger voters.

Kelly has built strong support in a purple state by working across the aisle, like his predecessor, John McCain. Kelly reveres McCain, whom Donald Trump demeaned for having been shot down over Vietnam, captured, imprisoned for 5½ years and undergone years of torture rather than leave his fellow POWs behind. “I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump callously remarked .

A veteran, Kelly also draws a sharp contrast to Trump, who has coldheartedly denigrated those who died in defense of the country. “Why should I go to that cemetery?” Trump reportedly said when refusing to visit the graves of World War I casualties. “It’s filled with losers.”

There are several governors whose names are being touted as Harris running mates like Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky. All are successful and popular, but their benefit might be limited to their own state, which they might not even carry.

Kelly uniquely has a military background, a record of bipartisanship, a personal story as an astronaut and the husband of a gravely wounded congresswoman who himself is unexpectedly projected into politics. Kelly’s appeal is national and his electoral strength in purple Arizona could help elect another Democratic senator to replace him. All these reasons should compel Harris to give Kelly very strong consideration to fill the job she currently holds.

John Lawrence, the former chief of staff to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is the author of “Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership 2005-2010” and “The Class of ’74: Congress After Watergate and the Roots of Polarization.” He teaches at the University of California Washington Center and spent 38 years on Capitol Hill.

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