Dr. Lydia Finley of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has been named the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award. Her important research on how cells use energy and its effect on stem cells and cancer cells was recognized by the selection committee. At the award ceremony held at Nagoya University's Higashiyama Campus on December 12, 2024, and chaired by Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirota of the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Dr. Finley delivered a lecture titled "Metabolic control of normal and pathological cell states."
Opening remarks by Naoshi Sugiyama (President, Nagoya University)
Dr. Finley demonstrated that as cells progress through normal or malignant development, their metabolic processes undergo essential remodeling that enables successful cell state transitions. Her research has shown that intracellular metabolites can directly regulate these transitions, in part by modifying the chromatin that shapes gene expression programs.
"By answering questions no one has asked before, we aimed to better understand cells, disease, and ultimately find better cures," said Dr. Finley. "I am deeply honored to be recognized and to build on the legacy of Drs. Okazaki."
Awarding ceremony (Left: Dr. Finley, Right: Professor Kinoshita)
Dr. Finley's innovative research combines genetic and metabolomic approaches to investigate how cells regulate their growth and development. Her laboratory has made significant discoveries about cell-type-specific growth requirements and how metabolic pathways influence crucial cellular activities, including self-renewal and differentiation. Of particular importance is her work on how changes in cellular metabolism affect the chromatin landscape, thus influencing gene expression programs that control cell survival, growth, and differentiation. These findings have important implications for understanding both normal development and diseases such as cancer, where failure to execute terminal differentiation can lead to disease progression.
This award honors the extraordinary legacy of Professors Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki, who made their landmark discovery of Okazaki fragments, short DNA sequences created during DNA replication, while faculty members at Nagoya University. This discovery fundamentally changed our understanding of how cells copy their genetic material. In addition to their pioneering research, the Okazakis committed to improving molecular biology and mentoring future scientists in the field.
Group photo at awarding ceremony
Award lecture by Dr. Lydia Finley (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center）
Established in 2015, the annual Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award recognizes early career scientists who demonstrate exceptional potential for transformative discoveries through innovative approaches or technological breakthroughs in biological science. WPI-ITbM administers the award in collaboration with the Graduate Schools of Science and Bioagricultural Sciences.
Previous recipients of this prestigious award include Dr. Feng Zhang of MIT, Dr. Yukiko Yamashita of the University of Michigan, Dr. Maria Barna of Stanford University, Dr. Cyril Zipfel of the University of Zurich, Dr. Kay M. Tye of the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, Dr. Clifford Brangwynne of Princeton University, and Dr. Martin Jonikas of Princeton University. Each recipient has made exceptional contributions to molecular biology and related fields.
Group photo of attendees and speakers
The Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), which was established at Nagoya University in April 2013 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI). WPI-ITbM aims to create groundbreaking biomolecules to improve science and society, much like penicillin and Tamiflu did. It brings together chemists, biologists, and theoretical scientists who work side by side to generate new research at the intersection of chemistry and biology. Through this unique collaborative approach, WPI-ITbM aims to address crucial social challenges in environmental conservation, food production, and medical technology.
For more information about research opportunities at ITbM, visit https://www.itbm.nagoya-u.ac.jp/
For a link to the event, click here https://www.itbm.nagoya-u.ac.jp/istbm-10/
For more information on the Tsuneko and Reiji Okazaki Award , please see https://www.itbm.nagoya-u.ac.jp/TR-Okazaki-Award/index.html