Lydia W. S. Finley

Last updated
Lydia W. S. Finley
AwardsSearle Scholar
Scientific career
FieldsMetabolism, Stem Cell Biology
InstitutionsMemorial Sloan Kettering
Doctoral advisor Marcia Haigis
Other academic advisorsCraig Thompson
Website https://www.mskcc.org/research/ski/labs/lydia-finley

Lydia W. S. Finley is an American scientist and an assistant member at the Cell Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. Finley is known for her contributions to understanding the metabolic underpinnings of stem cell fate.

Contents

Biography

Finley received her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree summa cum laude from Yale University. Finley completed her PhD at Harvard Medical School, where she worked in the laboratory of Marcia Haigis. Finley then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Craig Thompson at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After completing her postdoctoral work, Finley opened her own laboratory in 2017, which is located in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. [1] [2] [3]

Finley has received various awards for her work. These include the Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the Searle Scholars Award. Finley currently serves as an associate editor for Cancer & Metabolism [4] and a reviewing editor at eLife. [5] As of April 2022, Finley has authored over 40 publications and has an h-index of 30. [6]

Scientific contributions

Finley's research has focused on interrogating the connections between metabolites and their role in regulating embryonic stem cell self-renewal and cell fate decisions. Notably, as a postdoctoral fellow, Finley and Bryce W. Carey discovered that intracellular α-ketoglutarate levels regulated chromatin and gene expression, and contributes to embryonic stem cell renewal. [7] [8] In 2022, Finley and co-authors published a paper describing a non-canonical arm of the TCA cycle. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Selected awards and honors

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stem cell</span> Undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into specialized cells

In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell in a cell lineage. They are found in both embryonic and adult organisms, but they have slightly different properties in each. They are usually distinguished from progenitor cells, which cannot divide indefinitely, and precursor or blast cells, which are usually committed to differentiating into one cell type.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cellular differentiation</span> Developmental biology

Cellular differentiation is the process in which a stem cell changes from one type to a differentiated one. Usually, the cell changes to a more specialized type. Differentiation happens multiple times during the development of a multicellular organism as it changes from a simple zygote to a complex system of tissues and cell types. Differentiation continues in adulthood as adult stem cells divide and create fully differentiated daughter cells during tissue repair and during normal cell turnover. Some differentiation occurs in response to antigen exposure. Differentiation dramatically changes a cell's size, shape, membrane potential, metabolic activity, and responsiveness to signals. These changes are largely due to highly controlled modifications in gene expression and are the study of epigenetics. With a few exceptions, cellular differentiation almost never involves a change in the DNA sequence itself. However, metabolic composition does get altered quite dramatically where stem cells are characterized by abundant metabolites with highly unsaturated structures whose levels decrease upon differentiation. Thus, different cells can have very different physical characteristics despite having the same genome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embryonic stem cell</span> Type of pluripotent blastocystic stem cell

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells. Isolating the inner cell mass (embryoblast) using immunosurgery results in destruction of the blastocyst, a process which raises ethical issues, including whether or not embryos at the pre-implantation stage have the same moral considerations as embryos in the post-implantation stage of development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oct-4</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Oct-4, also known as POU5F1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the POU5F1 gene. Oct-4 is a homeodomain transcription factor of the POU family. It is critically involved in the self-renewal of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. As such, it is frequently used as a marker for undifferentiated cells. Oct-4 expression must be closely regulated; too much or too little will cause differentiation of the cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeobox protein NANOG</span> Mammalian protein found in humans

Homeobox protein NANOG(hNanog) is a transcriptional factor that helps embryonic stem cells (ESCs) maintain pluripotency by suppressing cell determination factors. hNanog is encoded in humans by the NANOG gene. Several types of cancer are associated with NANOG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Induced pluripotent stem cell</span> Pluripotent stem cell generated directly from a somatic cell

Induced pluripotent stem cells are a type of pluripotent stem cell that can be generated directly from a somatic cell. The iPSC technology was pioneered by Shinya Yamanaka and Kazutoshi Takahashi in Kyoto, Japan, who together showed in 2006 that the introduction of four specific genes, collectively known as Yamanaka factors, encoding transcription factors could convert somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize along with Sir John Gurdon "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOX2</span> Transcription factor gene of the SOX family

SRY -box 2, also known as SOX2, is a transcription factor that is essential for maintaining self-renewal, or pluripotency, of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. Sox2 has a critical role in maintenance of embryonic and neural stem cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinya Yamanaka</span> Japanese stem cell researcher

Shinya Yamanaka is a Japanese stem cell researcher and a Nobel Prize laureate. He is a professor and the director emeritus of Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University; as a senior investigator at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California; and as a professor of anatomy at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Yamanaka is also a past president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SALL4</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Sal-like protein 4(SALL4) is a transcription factor encoded by a member of the Spalt-like (SALL) gene family, SALL4. The SALL genes were identified based on their sequence homology to Spalt, which is a homeotic gene originally cloned in Drosophila melanogaster that is important for terminal trunk structure formation in embryogenesis and imaginal disc development in the larval stages. There are four human SALL proteins with structural homology and playing diverse roles in embryonic development, kidney function, and cancer. The SALL4 gene encodes at least three isoforms, termed A, B, and C, through alternative splicing, with the A and B forms being the most studied. SALL4 can alter gene expression changes through its interaction with many co-factors and epigenetic complexes. It is also known as a key embryonic stem cell (ESC) factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cell potency</span> Ability of a cell to differentiate into other cell types

Cell potency is a cell's ability to differentiate into other cell types. The more cell types a cell can differentiate into, the greater its potency. Potency is also described as the gene activation potential within a cell, which like a continuum, begins with totipotency to designate a cell with the most differentiation potential, pluripotency, multipotency, oligopotency, and finally unipotency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Massagué</span> Spanish biologist

Joan Massagué, is a Spanish biologist and the current director of the Sloan Kettering Institute at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is also an internationally recognized leader in the study of both cancer metastasis and growth factors that regulate cell behavior, as well as a professor at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshiki Sasai</span> Japanese stem cell biologist

Yoshiki Sasai was a Japanese stem cell biologist. He developed methods to guide human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into forming brain cortex, eyes, and other organs in tissue culture. Sasai worked at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe, and was Director of the Laboratory for Organogenesis and Neurogenesis. Following his involvement in the 2014 STAP cell controversy, Sasai was found dead at Riken from an apparent suicide.

Marcel R.M. van den Brink is a Dutch oncologist and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center known for his research in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for cancer patients.

Lorenz Studer is a Swiss biologist. He is the founder and director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He is a developmental biologist and neuroscientist who is pioneering the generation of midbrain dopamine neurons for transplantation and clinical applications. His expertise in cell engineering spans a wide range of cells/tissues within the nervous system geared toward disease modeling and exploring cell replacement therapy. Currently, he is a member of the Developmental Biology Program and Department of Neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, NY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musashi-2</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Musashi-2, also known as Musashi RNA binding protein 2, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MSI2 gene. Like its homologue musashi-1 (MSI1), it is an RNA-binding protein involved in stemness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOX17</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

SRY-box 17 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SOX17 gene.

Viviane Tabar is an American neurosurgeon, the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gilbertson</span> British paediatric oncology clinician scientist

Professor Richard James Gilbertson is a paediatric oncology clinician scientist and a Senior Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge. He is the Li Ka Shing Chair of Oncology, and Director of the CRUK Cambridge Major Centre and the Children's Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Hargreaves</span> American biologist

Diana Hargreaves is an American biologist and assistant professor at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and member of The Salk Cancer Center. Her laboratory focuses on epigenetic regulation by the BAF (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes in diverse physiological processes including development, immunity, and diseases such as cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Hanna</span> Israeli Arab researcher in molecular biochemistry

JacobH. Hanna is a Palestinian-Israeli biologist and physician who is working as a professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. An expert in embryonic stem cell research, he is most recognized for developing a technique for extended culturing mouse embryos outside the uterus in 2021, subsequently applying his technique for making the first synthetic embryos of mice in 2022, and then of human in 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Lydia Finley, PhD". Pershing Square Foundation. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  2. ↑ "Lydia Finley | Haigis Lab". haigis.hms.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  3. ↑ "Cell scientist to watch – Lydia Finley". Journal of Cell Science. 135 (7): jcs260023. 2022-04-04. doi: 10.1242/jcs.260023 . ISSN   0021-9533. S2CID   247964605.
  4. ↑ "Cancer & Metabolism". BioMed Central. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  5. ↑ "Editors for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine". eLife. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  6. ↑ "Lydia Finley". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  7. ↑ "Cell scientist to watch – Lydia Finley". Journal of Cell Science. 135 (7): jcs260023. 2022-04-04. doi: 10.1242/jcs.260023 . ISSN   0021-9533. S2CID   247964605.
  8. ↑ Carey, Bryce W.; Finley, Lydia W.S.; Cross, Justin R.; Allis, C. David; Thompson, Craig B. (2015-02-19). "Intracellular α-ketoglutarate maintains the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells". Nature. 518 (7539): 413–416. Bibcode:2015Natur.518..413C. doi:10.1038/nature13981. ISSN   0028-0836. PMC   4336218 . PMID   25487152.
  9. ↑ Arnold, Paige K.; Jackson, Benjamin T.; Paras, Katrina I.; Brunner, Julia S.; Hart, Madeleine L.; Newsom, Oliver J.; Alibeckoff, Sydney P.; Endress, Jennifer; Drill, Esther; Sullivan, Lucas B.; Finley, Lydia W. S. (March 2022). "A non-canonical tricarboxylic acid cycle underlies cellular identity". Nature. 603 (7901): 477–481. Bibcode:2022Natur.603..477A. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04475-w. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   8934290 . PMID   35264789.
  10. ↑ "Sloan Kettering Institute Scientists Discover a new twist on an 80-year-old biochemical pathway". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  11. ↑ "New twist on an 80-year-old biochemical pathway". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  12. ↑ "Remember Memorizing the Krebs Cycle? An Alternate Version Was Just Discovered | Cell And Molecular Biology". Labroots. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  13. ↑ "Meet Our Scientists". Damon Runyon. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  14. ↑ "Lydia Finley". Searle Scholars Program. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  15. ↑ "Lydia Finley, PhD". Pershing Square Foundation. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  16. ↑ Carey, Bryce W.; Finley, Lydia W.S.; Cross, Justin R.; Allis, C. David; Thompson, Craig B. (2015-02-19). "Intracellular α-ketoglutarate maintains the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells". Nature. 518 (7539): 413–416. Bibcode:2015Natur.518..413C. doi:10.1038/nature13981. ISSN   0028-0836. PMC   4336218 . PMID   25487152.
  17. ↑ Arnold, Paige K.; Jackson, Benjamin T.; Paras, Katrina I.; Brunner, Julia S.; Hart, Madeleine L.; Newsom, Oliver J.; Alibeckoff, Sydney P.; Endress, Jennifer; Drill, Esther; Sullivan, Lucas B.; Finley, Lydia W. S. (March 2022). "A non-canonical tricarboxylic acid cycle underlies cellular identity". Nature. 603 (7901): 477–481. Bibcode:2022Natur.603..477A. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04475-w. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   8934290 . PMID   35264789.
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