Lydia Finley

Lydia Finley is a cell biologist who studies how metabolic state controls cell identity and differentiation, with implications for cancer cell plasticity and therapy resistance. Her laboratory has demonstrated that alpha-ketoglutarate (alphaKG) acts as an epigenetic metabolite that promotes histone demethylation and maintains stem cell pluripotency, while reduced alphaKG/succinate ratios shift cells toward differentiated states. This work reveals how metabolic shifts in tumors can drive cellular plasticity and how metabolic interventions might overcome differentiation blocks in cancer. Finley has identified dietary and pharmacological strategies to shift intracellular metabolite levels and influence cancer cell state.