Steven O’Reilly completed his PhD in Cell Biology at Liverpool University and holds MSc in Human Immunology from the same institute. He completed his post-doctoral training with Prof. Jaap van Laar at the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle University investigating systemic sclerosis pathogenesis making key discoveries in inflammation associated diseases. He subsequently undertook further training in 3D tissue culture at Durham University before commencing a faculty appointment as a Senior Lecturer in Immunology spearheading a world-leading research group in systemic sclerosis making discoveries in epigenetic modifications in systemic sclerosis and changes metabolism and the anti-fibrotic role of 4-octyl itaconate. He was most recently associate director of biology at STipe Therapeutics leading the research program targeting the STING pathway for immune-mediated anti-cancer therapeutics. Leveraging the power of the STING pathway for antitumor immunity was a primary goal.