Mary Reilly (academic) facts for kids

Mary M. Reilly is an Irish doctor who specializes in the brain and nerves. This type of doctor is called a neurologist. She works at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Dr. Reilly studies problems with nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. These problems are called peripheral neuropathy. She is also the President of the Association of British Neurologists.

Early Life and Education

Mary Reilly studied medicine at University College Dublin in Ireland. She finished her studies in 1986. For a few years, she worked as a neurologist at St. Vincent's University Hospital.

In 1991, she joined Dr. Anita Harding at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. Reilly really looked up to Dr. Harding. She says Dr. Harding inspired her to study nerve conditions.

Dr. Reilly earned her special medical degree in 1996. Her research focused on a nerve condition called familial amyloid polyneuropathy. She also trained at other hospitals, learning from famous neurologists.

Helping People with Nerve Problems

At the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Dr. Reilly focuses on nerve problems that people are born with. These are called inherited neuropathies. In 1998, she became a special consultant neurologist. She also became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2002.

She began to study conditions that affect muscles and nerves. One important condition she studies is Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT). In 2004, she found that Vitamin C might help improve symptoms in mice with CMT.

Dr. Reilly then started a big study with doctors in Italy. They wanted to see if Vitamin C could help people with CMT. The study in the UK had 50 people. It showed that Vitamin C was safe. However, it did not slow down the disease. Even though it didn't cure CMT, the study helped doctors learn new ways to measure nerve problems.

Her research also helps find genes that cause nerve diseases. She has studied genes like BICD2 and methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MARS). She has also looked closely at the function of IGHMBP2.

Research on Muscle-Wasting Conditions

Dr. Reilly works with a group called Muscular Dystrophy UK. They help people with conditions that make muscles weak. She also looks for new ways to track how nerve diseases change over time. These are called biomarkers.

In CMT, nerves that control muscles get damaged. This makes muscles weaker. Over time, fat can build up in the muscles. Dr. Reilly uses MRI scans to watch these changes. MRI can show how much fat is in the muscles. It can also find changes in muscle water before fat builds up.

She found that maps of calf muscle fat are useful for patients with CMT. Patients with CMT often have more fat in their calf muscles. Dr. Reilly received a large grant to use MRI scans to watch muscle changes in CMT.

Leading Neurological Research

In 2010, Dr. Reilly became a Professor of Clinical Neurology at University College London. She leads a big team that studies nerve and muscle diseases. This team is part of the Medical Research Council.

With her team, Dr. Reilly holds a yearly meeting about nerve and muscle diseases. It includes a special day for patients. On this day, patients can learn and discuss inherited nerve problems. Besides CMT, Dr. Reilly has also worked on other nerve conditions. These include hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Dr. Reilly has written chapters for important medical books. She also served as the head of the British Peripheral Nerve Society. In 2015, she was chosen to be the next President of the Association of British Neurologists. She became the first woman to hold this important role in 2017.