About
David MacEwan studied Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow (BSc, 1988) and then undertook PhD studies at the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Department of Pharmacology, University of Edinburgh with Dr Rory Mitchell (PhD, 1991). After postdoctoral studies at Syntex Research (Roche Bioscience) and within the labs of Prof Howard Schulman and Prof Eric Shooter at Stanford University departments of Pharmacology and Neuroscience (1991-1994), he returned to the University of Glasgow as Postdoc with Prof Graeme Milligan (1994-1996). In 1996 David was appointed Lecturer in Pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen, being promoted to Senior Lecturer (2001) then Reader of Pharmacology (2004). He then moved to the University of East Anglia as Chair in Pharmaceutical Cell Biology and Head of Pharmacology (2005-2013). In 2013, he joined the Department of Molecular & Clinical Pharmacology as Chair in Molecular Pharmacology, and since 2015 is the Head of Department.
My research addresses the influence of clinically-relevant mutations on the cell signalling adaptation that is seen chemotherapy-resistant patients and associated cell models. Having published over 100 papers, my research has concentrated mainly on the molecular pharmacology of death receptors and cross-talk between intracellular signalling cascades involved in apoptosis and cell survival mechanisms, particularly those in chemotherapy-resistant or hard to treat human cancers, especially blood cancers.
I serve as Cancer Senior Editor for the British Journal of Pharmacology (BJP) and is on the Senior Editorial Board of the American Journal of Cancer Research. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Biochemical Pharmacology, Amer J Clin Exper Immunol (AJCEI), J Cancer Therapeut Res (JCTR), J Cancer Res Ther (JCRT), J Hematol Blood Disorders (JHBD) and Mol Cell Oncol (MCO). I am an Editorial Advisory Panel member for the Biochemical Journal (BJ).
He has given several Keynote and Special Guest Lectures. Is an active member of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) and the Biochemical Society. In my enabling roles, I regularly serve in various external capacities, including on the Biochemical Society's Signalling Theme Panel, external examiner for institute’s Pharmacology degrees and PhDs, as well as grant panel member for cancer charities. For the Faculty of 1000 (F1000) I am a current Section Head for the Pharmacology & Drug Discovery section. I am also one of the ISI Web of Science's Most-Cited Researchers (2019). I am an author of the popular ‘Rang & Dale’s Pharmacology’ textbook. In 2012 I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) and in 2014 as a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society (FBPhS), as well as being awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).