Andy Finch

Andy Finch, BA (Hons), PhD, is a Professor of Cancer Metabolism and Group Leader at the University of Edinburgh, affiliated with the Centre for Tumour Biology. His research program investigates metabolic alterations and stresses induced by oncogene activation and their role in tumour suppressive responses.

• University: University of Edinburgh
• Position: Professor of Cancer Metabolism, Group Leader
• Research Group: Cancer Metabolism Group

His primary research areas include Cancer Cell Biology, Metabolism, Breast Cancer, and Lymphoma, with specific focus on oncogene-driven metabolic rewiring and cellular stress responses. He employs advanced metabolomics and stable isotope tracing techniques to identify metabolic vulnerabilities in cancer cells, particularly examining mitochondrial function and ribosome biogenesis pathways.

Analysis of his publications (2011-2022) reveals consistent expertise in cancer metabolism, with key contributions spanning mitochondrial enzyme function (malate dehydrogenase), oncogene-mediated apoptosis (MYC), ribosome biogenesis defects, and innovative mass spectrometry methodologies. His work bridges fundamental biochemical mechanisms with translational cancer research, emphasizing metabolic dependencies as therapeutic targets.

Professor Finch has secured substantial research funding including a Wellcome Multi User Equipment Grant (£778,000, 2017-2022) for high-resolution mass spectrometry infrastructure, a Wellcome Trust ISSF grant (£78,000, 2014-2015) for analytical development, and a University of Edinburgh Chancellor’s Fellowship (£668,000, 2013-2018). He also served as Secretary of the Scottish Metabolomics Network (2015-2019).

He leads the Cancer Metabolism Group which integrates biochemical, genetic, and metabolomic approaches to study cancer metabolism. The group specializes in stable isotope tracer analysis and develops computational tools like AssayR for metabolic pathway quantification, with ongoing work focused on identifying metabolic targets for breast and lymphoma cancers.