Dr. Neil Conlon

Dr Neil Conlon is an Assistant Professor in Biotherapeutics in the School of Biotechnology at Dublin City University (DCU), where he leads the Breast and Gynaecological Oncology Targeted Therapies research group. His research focuses on understanding and overcoming resistance to cancer treatments, with the aim of identifying more effective and targeted therapeutic strategies for patients with breast and gynaecological cancers.

Neil’s research investigates the biological mechanisms that determine responses to targeted cancer therapies, including antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), DNA damage response inhibitors and HER-family targeted therapies. His group combines molecular and cellular biology approaches with preclinical cancer models to investigate therapeutic response, identify mechanisms of resistance and explore novel treatment combinations.

Neil completed his BSc in Biology and Chemistry at the National University of Ireland Maynooth before undertaking a PhD in Cancer Biology at DCU, where he investigated mechanisms of resistance to HER2-targeted therapies in breast cancer. He subsequently held a number of research positions at DCU, including an Irish Research Council Enterprise Partnership Scheme Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Cancer Clinical Research Trust Grace Stimpson Research Fellowship. His research has also involved collaborations with industry partners, including Puma Biotechnology, Astrazeneca, and Daiichi Sankyo.

Neil has secured competitive research funding from Research Ireland, charity sector, and industry partners. He is committed to mentoring early-career researchers and developing collaborative, translational research programmes that address unmet needs in cancer treatment.