Toren Finkel

Toren Finkel is a pioneer in understanding reactive oxygen species as bona fide signaling molecules rather than merely toxic byproducts, demonstrating that mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide regulates transcription factor activity, cell proliferation, and metabolic adaptation in cancer cells. His work showed that moderate ROS levels promote cancer cell survival through activation of pro-survival signaling pathways including HIF-1alpha and NF-kB, while excessive ROS trigger cell death. He has characterized how cancer cells fine-tune mitochondrial ROS production to maintain a pro-tumorigenic redox window. His conceptual framework of ROS as signaling mediators has reshaped therapeutic strategies from simple antioxidant approaches to targeted redox manipulation.