Daniel Murphy

Professor Daniel Murphy is a Professor of Lung Cancer & Mesothelioma at the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cancer Sciences, based at the CRUK Beatson Institute. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying lung cancer and mesothelioma, with particular emphasis on genetically engineered mouse models and kinase signaling pathways. His work bridges basic science with clinical applications to develop new therapeutic approaches.

Professor Murphy's research interests span multiple areas of cancer biology, with a strong focus on lung cancer and mesothelioma pathogenesis. His laboratory investigates how oncogenes like MYC drive tumor development and progression, with particular attention to metabolic reprogramming, kinase signaling networks, and the role of environmental factors like asbestos in mesothelioma. He has made significant contributions to understanding NUAK1 kinase signaling in cancer, centrosome regulation in pancreatic cancer, and mitochondrial dysfunction in tumor progression. His work often employs sophisticated genetically engineered mouse models to study cancer biology in physiologically relevant contexts.

Analysis of Professor Murphy's recent publications reveals a strong thematic focus on molecular mechanisms of cancer development, with particular emphasis on kinase signaling pathways (especially NUAK1), metabolic reprogramming in tumors, and the molecular basis of mesothelioma. His research increasingly incorporates advanced computational approaches, as evidenced by publications on histomorphological atlases using self-supervised learning. The work spans basic molecular mechanisms to translational applications, with several studies identifying potential therapeutic targets in liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and myeloproliferative disorders.

• Pharmacological inhibition of MYC in lung cancer (Beatson Cancer Charity, 2025-2026)
• Dactinomycin has an immunopotentiation effect by inducing MHC-I expression of cancer cells (University of Oxford, 2024-2025)
• REMIT: REconstruction of disease evolution in Mesothelioma for Improved Therapy (Cancer Research UK, 2023-2028)
• Using complex state of the art mouse models of cancer to improve the understanding and treatment of human cancer (Medical Research Council, 2022-2027)
• PREDICT-Meso: PRE-malignant Drivers Combined with Target-Drug validation in Mesothelioma (Cancer Research UK, 2020-2025)

Professor Murphy leads a research group focused on oncogene-induced vulnerabilities, particularly studying how MYC and related pathways drive cancer development. His laboratory utilizes advanced genetically engineered mouse models to investigate lung cancer and mesothelioma pathogenesis, with recent work increasingly incorporating computational approaches to analyze complex histopathological data. The research has significant translational potential, with several recent studies identifying novel therapeutic targets across multiple cancer types.