BORN: Toronto, Canada

NATIONALITY: Canadian/Australian

ALMA MATER: University of Calgary

FIELDS: Functional genomics, Immunology, Neuroscience

INSTITUTIONS: Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (Vienna), Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Sydney), University of Sydney

INTRODUCTION Greg Neely is a prominent Canadian-Australian scientist specialising in functional genomics. He is Professor of Functional Genomics and Head of the Dr. John and Anne Chong Lab at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney ^[1]. Neely's functional genomics approaches have informed on the genetic basis of pain ^[2][3][4], novel antidotes for animal venoms ^[5][6], impacts of dietary supplements on health ^[7][8][9] and natural immune receptors against COVID-19 ^[10]. These have generated significant media coverage, scientific recognition and impact.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Neely was born in Toronto, Canada and pursued his higher education at the University of Calgary. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology in 1997, followed by a PhD in Cellular Immunology under Christopher H. Mody ^[11]. This was funded by the Loraine Award and focused on immunological mechanisms at the cellular level ^[12][13].

CAREER After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Austria (2003-10) with Josef M. Penninger ^[14] at the IMBA ^[15], Neely joined the Garvan Institute of Medical Research ^[16] in Sydney as a Faculty and Principal Research Fellow (2010-2015). In 2015, he moved to the University of Sydney ^[17], where he has continued his research into genomics and pain at the Charles Perkins Centre ^[18].

RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES Neely's research program specialises in functional annotation of the genome to identify core molecular mechanisms that govern physiological systems. He has extensive experience using RNAi screening and was the first to setup whole-genome CRISPR screening in Australia. Research programs include:

Pain Functional Genomics Neely and his team have a primary focus on pain functional genomics. Using an in vivo RNAi screening strategy in insects, Neely identified hundreds of new and conserved pain genes ^[3]. One of these was TRPA1, which is the conserved and primordial pain receptor, highlighting that pain or nociception (the ability to sense and avoid potentially damaging stimulus first evolved over 550 million years ago ^[2]. Neely was also the first to show that insects can also experience something like neuropathic pain ^[4], showing this process was also evolutionarily conserved and suggesting that chronic neuropathic pain may actually serve a purpose, causing an injured animal to enter a state of hypervigilance that promotes survival. From this insect screening approach, Neely and colleagues also identified a likely second pain gate in the thalamus ^[3]. This work provided the first proof that synaesthesia (where one sensory input is perceived as another e.g. pain is perceived visually) has a molecular and biological basis. Synaesthesia was first described by John Locke in 1690, however until work by Neely and colleagues, it was not clear if synaesthesia had a psychosomatic or biological basis. More recently, Neely and his team reported 23 new pain genes ^[2]. Five were previously uncharacterised, and they named these genes after heavy metal or punk rock songs by Black Sabbath, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, The Misfits, or Canada’s S.N.F.U.

Antivenom Development Greg Neely's 2024 study used CRISPR screening to investigate how cobra venoms damage human cells ^[5]. The study demonstrated that heparinoids can effectively neutralize cobra venom, potentially leading to more effective snakebite treatments, especially in rural areas of Africa and Southeast Asia, where such incidents are prevalent. This research, published on the cover of Science Translational Medicine ^[5], marks a significant breakthrough in antivenom development (Science ^[19], Nature ^[20], BBC ^[21], etc). Neely’s team also developed an antidote to the venom of the Australian box jellyfish, one of the most venomous creatures in the world. Published in Nature Communications ^[6], their research used CRISPR screening to identify venom pathways, then repurposed cyclodextrins to block the venom’s ability to destroy cells, potentially offering a way to rationally treat these stings (CNN ^[22], Science ^[23], The Guardian ^[24], Sky News UK ^[25], France 24 ^[26]).

COVID-19 Research During the COVID-19 pandemic, Neely led a study that identified a lung protein, LRRC15, that acts as a natural defense against the SARS-CoV-2 virus ^[10]. The findings, which suggest that LRRC15 could be used to prevent or treat COVID-19, were hailed as a significant advancement in understanding the virus's interaction with host cells (Lancet ^[27], The Guardian ^[28], Daily Mail UK ^[29], ABC ^[30]).

Artificial Sweeteners and Diet In another widely publicised study published in Cell Metabolism ^[7], Neely's lab demonstrated that artificial sweeteners like sucralose could induce a starvation response in fruit flies, leading to increased calorie consumption. In this study, Neely and team also showed artificial sweeteners could increase food intake in mice, and a follow up study showed sweeteners promote increased caloric intake on a low carbohydrate diet ^[8]. Building on this work, Neely showed that sweeteners act by enhancing sweet taste perception by activating AMPK in taste cells ^[7], and also showed that artificial sweeteners can directly change the microbiome ^[9]. This work has implications for understanding metabolic responses to diet and has sparked discussions on the safety and effects of artificial sweeteners in human diets (Nature ^[31], BBC ^[32], Scientific American ^[33], Elle ^[34], Hello Magazine ^[35], Vice ^[36]).

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION Neely has received several prestigious awards, including multiple NHMRC Career Development Fellowships and the NHMRC Marshall and Warren Award for innovative research ^[37]. His research has been featured in major media outlets like The Guardian ^[28], CNN ^[22], Scientific American ^[33] and The BBC ^[21], highlighting its broad impact and public interest.

EXTERNAL LINKS • Faculty Profile at the University of Sydney ^[1] • NCBI Bibliography ^[38]