Daniel O’Reilly, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and performs research on the chemical biology of oligonucleotide therapeutics. He decided to pursue a career developing treatments for rare diseases after witnessing the impact of Huntington’s disease on his own family from an early age and later learning he carried Huntington’s gene himself. This personal experience instilled a deep commitment to advancing therapies for genetic conditions that currently lack effective treatment options.
Dr. O’Reilly completed his MChem at the University of Southampton, where he was first introduced to nucleic acid chemistry in Professor Jon Watts's laboratory, working on synthesizing peptide nucleic acid (PNA) monomers. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from McGill University under Professor Masad Damha, focusing on chemical modifications to enhance oligonucleotides' therapeutic potential by probing nucleic acid's structure and function. His doctoral work included developing guidelines for chemically modifying crRNA for the CRISPR-Cas9 system and collaborating with other labs to improve gene editing and antisense technologies. He also spent time in Dr. David Corey’s lab at UT Southwestern, investigating the upregulation of Frataxin protein using antisense oligonucleotides, further expanding his expertise in therapeutic nucleic acids.
Driven to translate chemical innovations into real therapeutic advances, Dr. O’Reilly joined Professor Anastasia Khvorova’s lab at the RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, for his postdoctoral fellowship. The Khvorova lab’s world-leading reputation in oligonucleotide drug development and its focus on translational research provided the ideal environment for Dr. O’Reilly to lead projects targeting Huntington’s disease—an area deeply personal to him—using siRNA to address disease mechanisms such as somatic expansion and to develop novel chemical scaffolds to improve siRNA efficacy and delivery.
The O’Reilly Lab is passionately dedicated to creating oligonucleotide therapeutics for rare and ultra-rare diseases. We focus on developing novel chemical modifications, improving tissue targeting, and deepening the mechanistic understanding of oligonucleotide action. Our vision is to expand the therapeutic toolbox, answer fundamental questions in delivery and efficacy, and collaborate widely to accelerate the development of transformative treatments for patients and families affected by rare diseases.
He is dedicated to patient advocacy, inspired by his family’s experience with Huntington’s disease, and active in the Huntington’s Disease Association UK and the family charity ADDOR. A former trainee representative on the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Board and recipient of its 2022 Award for Patient Advocacy, Dr. O’Reilly is committed to advancing the field through scientific innovation and community engagement.