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Janet Daly

Lecturer in Comparative Virology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Janet Daly obtained a BSc (Hons) in Animal Physiology and Nutrition from the University of Leeds. She then worked as a laboratory technician at the Animal Health Trust for a year before beginning part-time study towards a PhD on equine influenza. After gaining her PhD in 1995, she moved into the human influenza field, first at the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control, then at Glaxo Wellcome (now Glaxo Smithkline). She returned to the Animal Health Trust in 2001 where she built up the influenza group over the next 5 years. Although she then moved to the University of Liverpool to study immunopathology of Japanese encephalitis virus, she maintained her involvement in equine virology. After a brief spell as a medical writer, she joined the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science in 2009.

Expertise Summary

  • Epidemiology and evolution of viruses
  • Development and testing of viral vaccines, antivirals and diagnostics

Regular reviewer for a number of international journals

Teaching Summary

Convener: Personal and Professional Skills Year 1 and Year 2 Modules

Research Summary

My main research interests are in zoonotic RNA viruses, particularly influenza A viruses and the flaviviruses Japanese encephalitis and West Nile.

Interactions between influenza viruses and the host immune system:

I am fascinated with the complex interactions between viruses and their host and how studying these can lead to better understanding of:

Determinants of viral pathogenicity. During infection, cytokines signal immune cells such as T-cells and macrophages to travel to the site of infection to mop up infected cells. Activated T-cells and macrophages produce more cytokines and normally this feedback loop is kept in check by the body. Most viruses encode proteins that function to suppress and / or resist the effects of cytokines, allowing the virus to hijack host cells for replication. In some virus strains these proteins disrupt normal regulation of the cytokine response resulting in excessive cytokine production (a Œcytokine storm¹), which can have devastating consequences.

Disease exacerbation after vaccination. Very rarely but unpredictably, individuals vaccinated with certain pathogens (e.g. respiratory syncytial virus, measles and influenza) by a particular route of administration have suffered exacerbated disease when later exposed again (either experimentally or naturally) to the same pathogen.

Factors influencing interspecies transmission. Aquatic birds are the natural reservoir of all subtypes of influenza A virus - only certain subtypes become established in mammalian species (e.g. H1N1, H2N2 and H3N2 in man, H7N7 and H3N8 in horses). Recently, viruses of the H3N8 subtype crossed the species barrier from horses to dogs and canine influenza is now established in the USA.

Recent Publications

Undergraduate teaching (BVM BVS)

  • Academic integrity and plagiarism
  • Immunological assays
  • Equine respiratory physiology
  • Scientific writing
  • Haemostatic disorders
  • Information technology
  • Animal Handling (small mammal and equine)
  • Facilitator for year 1 and year 2 Personal and Professional Skills Modules and clinical relevance directed learning sessions

Additional

  • Numeracy
  • NUVACS (communication skills) facilitator
  • Postgraduate training (EndNote)

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science

University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Leicestershire, LE12 5RD

telephone: +44 (0)115 951 6116
fax: +44 (0)115 951 6415
email: veterinary-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk