Nancy Gray, Ph.D., Named UAMS BioVentures Director
| LITTLE ROCK — Nancy M. Gray, Ph.D., has been named director of UAMS BioVentures, the technology licensing office and business incubator for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Gray replaces interim director Marie Chow, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology and pathology, who led BioVentures during a search to replace Michael Douglas, Ph.D., who retired in 2012.
Gray has more than thirty years of experience in biomedical industries, including medicinal chemistry research, management of pharmaceutical research and development, and business operations.
Gray comes to UAMS from the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was vice president for corporate development.
There, she led corporate development opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, minority investments, technology licenses and divestitures for the life sciences, engineering, and environment and energy business. Gray completed one joint venture agreement, 30 license agreements and 37 collaboration agreements.
Gray also led the turnaround of infectious diseases contract services business, increasing revenue by $7 million and profit by $1.2 million in three years.
Prior to her time at the Southern Research Institute, Gray worked in various executive roles at Beijing Med-Pharm Corporation, Vaxinnate Corportation and Elan Corporation.
She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Bucknell University and her doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Illinois.
Gray’s research work on central nervous system diseases resulted in three products being accepted for clinical development in five years. She was also instrumental in the development of two marketed second generation antihistamines, Allegra and Xyxal. Gray is the inventor on 31 issued U.S. patents and the author of 23 publications.
UAMS BioVentures was established by the UAMS College of Medicine to translate research into products that benefit human health. BioVentures works to maximize global, industrial interaction with UAMS faculty, as well as facilitate technology transfer, the development of startup companies that are based on UAMS technology, and contributions to Arkansas’ economic development.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###