David Lewis

Professor David Lewis is a Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute (also known as The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research), where he leads the Molecular Imaging research group within the School of Cancer Sciences. His work focuses on using advanced imaging techniques to understand cancer metabolism and tumor heterogeneity.

Dr. Lewis's research explores how cancer cells are metabolically reprogrammed to provide the energy and biomass required for proliferation, with this metabolic phenotype driven by genetic mutations and a nutrient-deprived microenvironment. His laboratory employs state-of-the-art PET/MR imaging, metabolomics, and genomics to non-invasively measure the spatial and temporal dynamics of cancer metabolism in living tumors. This research aims to develop methods for non-invasive tumor classification and treatment direction based on metabolic profiles.

His significant contributions to the field have been recognized with multiple prestigious awards:

• EJNMMI Research: Best Paper Award - EANM Springer Prize, 2017
• Young Investigator of the Year Award Finalist (World Molecular Imaging Congress, New York), 2016
• Industry Sponsored Award Winner (World Molecular Imaging Congress, New York), 2016
• Research Travel Award (CRUK), 2015
• John J. Lewis Award (University of Glasgow) for outstanding examination performance, 2003

Dr. Lewis actively mentors early-career researchers, supervising PhD students Irene Caldera Quevedo, Emer Curley, and Anggraeni Ayu Rengganis, along with multiple postdoctoral scientists and a clinical fellow. His laboratory team includes postdoctoral scientists Abdullah Alyamani, Federico Bernuzzi, Robert Bielik, Emma Brown, Lisa Duff, Fraser Edgar, and Nesibe Peker, as well as clinical fellow Adam Peters and visiting scientist Chrysoula Vraka.

The Molecular Imaging Group investigates how metabolic heterogeneity in tumors drives recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. Their research spans multiple cancer types including prostate cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and glioma, with recent work expanding into cancer cachexia, metabolic imaging of tumor heterogeneity, and total-body PET imaging applications. Dr. Lewis also serves on the Steering Board of CRUK RadNet, contributing to strategic radiation network research in the UK.