DrHilary Cassidy

I hold a BSc Toxicology from Athlone Institute of Technology, BSc Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Dublin Institute of Technology, MSc Pharmacology and Toxicology from UCD. I undertook my PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Renal Disease Research Group / UCD Centre for Toxicology utilizing in vitro models and clinical cohorts to identify novel urinary biomarkers for detecting the onset, staging and progression of chronic allograft nephropathy in transplant patients via proteomic and metabolomic techniques. I have previously worked in Uppsala as a researcher focused on viral microRNA expression by HPV16. I have also worked in Karolinska Institute Stockholm on novel targeted therapeutics for synovial sarcoma, with the findings of my work proceeding into clinical trials. I was awarded the Baxter Newman Fellowship, in 2014 and focused on the identification of novel protein and microRNA biomarkers of diabetic kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy). My postdoctoral work between 2016-2019 was part of the European horizon2020 SmartNanoTox program, where I developed new proteomic approaches for the identification of the nanoparticle corona components and established adverse outcome pathways (AOCs) and key molecular events (MEs) for different types of nanomaterials. In 2019 I took on the position of Assistant professor in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Regulatory Affairs in the school of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences UCD. I am an experienced lecturer in toxicology, pharmacology, biochemistry and related disciplines including renal pharmacology, diabetes and diabetic complications, chemotherapeutic agents and principles of microbial infection. I also coordinate and deliver a postgraduate module aimed at teaching incoming PhD students the key approaches to be an effective demonstrator and undergraduate teacher. I am a registered toxicologist on the Irish and European Registers (IRT / ERT). I began establishing my own research group in Systems Biology Ireland UCD with a focus on renal cancer, nephrotoxicity and proteomics.