Juliet Daniel

Juliet M Daniel is a Canadian biology professor at McMaster University, where her research focuses on cancer biology. Daniel is recognized in the cancer biology field for the discovery and naming of the gene Kaiso, and is the recipient of several prestigious awards in recognition of her research and leadership, including an Ontario Premier Research Excellence Award and a Vice-Chancellor Award from the University of the West Indies.

In 1987, Daniel completed a Bachelor's degree in life sciences at Queen's University, and then a PhD in microbiology at the University of British Columbia in 1993. Daniel completed post-doctoral research fellowships for three years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and then followed her supervisor's move to Vanderbilt University, in Memphis, Tennessee, where she stayed for another three years.

During her fellowship, Daniel discovered the gene Kaiso, and named it after calypso (a popular form of Caribbean music). Daniel found that Kaiso transcriptionally regulates genes involved in cell proliferation and cell adhesion.

Following her post-doctoral fellowship, Daniel joined McMaster University's Department of Biology in November 1999, where she is now a full professor. Daniel's lab studies triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), specifically to identify genetic risk factors which may explain the prevalence and high mortality associated with TNBC in women of African ancestry. In 2017, Daniel's lab demonstrated that Kaiso plays a role in the proliferation and survival of TNBC cells.

Daniel's research has been cited over 4,000 times and she has an h-index of 26. She has been recognized for her research and mentorship by multiple awards, including a Vice-Chancellor Award from the University of the West Indies. She has received funding from both national and international agencies, including CIHR, NSERC and the US CDMRP (Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs) Breast Cancer IDEA Awards.

Daniel mentors students through the African Caribbean Association at McMaster University, as well as youth belonging to the African Caribbean community of Hamilton. She co-founded the Canadian Multicultural LEAD Organization for Mentoring & Training.

Daniel was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2009. Following years of treatment (involving a mastectomy, tamoxifen treatment and reconstruction surgery), Daniel is now healthy.

• Harry Jerome Award (Category: Technology and Innovation) (2017).
• Ontario Premier's Excellence in Research Award.
• Barbados Honor Gold Crown of Merit.
• National Ball Award.
• John C. Holland Award (for Professional Achievement).
• Gold Crown of Merit for Cancer Research Barbados National Honor, Barbados (2010);
• Errol Walton Barrow Award of Excellence, Barbados Ball Canada Aid,  Toronto (2009);
• African Canadian Achievement Award of Excellence in Science, Toronto (2008)
• Minority Scholar Award, American Association for Cancer Research (2004);
• Ontario Premier Research Excellence Award, McMaster (2001-2006); NSERC pre- (1989–91) & post- (1994–96) doctoral scholarships.

• Albert B Reynolds, Juliet M Daniel, Pierre D McCrea, Margaret J Wheelock, Jing Wu, Zhi Zhang. Identification of a new catenin: the tyrosine kinase substrate p120cas associates with E-cadherin complexes. Molecular and Cellular Biology. 1994.
• Juliet M Daniel and Albert B Reynolds. Tyrosine phosphorylation and cadherin/catenin function. BioEssays. 1997.
• Juliet M Daniel and Albert B Reynolds. The catenin p120 ctn interacts with Kaiso, a novel BTB/POZ domain zinc finger transcription factor.Molecular and Cellular Biology. 1999.
• Molly A Thoreson, Panos Z Anastasiadis, Juliet M Daniel, Reneé C Ireton, Margaret J Wheelock, Keith R Johnson, Diana K Hummingbird, Albert B Reynolds. Selective uncoupling of p120ctn from E-cadherin disrupts strong adhesion. Journal of Cell Biology. 2000.
• Kevin F Kelly and Juliet M Daniel. POZ for effect–POZ-ZF transcription factors in cancer and development. Trends in Cell Biology. 2006.
• Juliet M Daniel. Dancing in and out of the nucleus: p120ctn and the transcription factor Kaiso. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 2007.
• Honghe Wang, Wei Liu, ShaNekkia Black, Omari Turner, Juliet M Daniel, Windy Dean-Colomb, Qinghua P He, Melissa Davis, Clayton Yates. Kaiso, a transcriptional repressor, promotes cell migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells through regulation of miR-31 expression. Oncotarget. 2016.