Ann Daly - Biography#
After completing BA and PhD degrees in Biochemistry at the University of Dublin (Trinity College) in Ireland, Ann Daly spent 2 years as a postdoc at University of Geneva where she studied nuclear structure. In 1984, she moved to Newcastle University in the UK, becoming a founder member of the Newcastle Pharmacogenetics Research Group in 1989. She was appointed Professor of Pharmacogenetics at Newcastle University in 2004.
Her early studies as a PI at Newcastle University focussed on understanding genetic variation in human cytochrome P450-mediated drug metabolism, especially with respect to isoforms CYP2C9 and CYP2D6. She then extended these studies to liver disease on the basis that cytochromes P450 were likely to make a contribution to diseases induced by diet and chemical exposure. It is now clear that the contribution of P450 to liver disease is relatively minor and Ann has therefore more recently focussed her research on general metabolic and immune-related genes as predictors of susceptibility to drug-induced liver injury, alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Her key achievements include showing that the key genetic risk factor for development of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury is HLA genotype, though in a drug dependent manner and with some contribution by other genes, and demonstrating that the most important genetic risk factors for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (including cirrhosis) are genes encoding proteins relevant to lipid metabolism.
Overall scientific accomplishments include more than 250 peer reviewed publications and a Google Scholar H-index of 99. Citation numbers also provide a general ranking for 2022 of 88th in the UK among female scientists (www.research.com).
Other current roles include membership of a pharmacovigilance advisory committee at the UK MHRA, leadership of scientific societies and journal editing (senior editor at British Journal of Pharmacology and editorial board memberships of several other journals).
