Prof David Lewis - Molecular Imaging
Introduction
Cancer cells are metabolically reprogrammed to provide the energy and biomass required to proliferate. The resulting metabolic phenotype is driven by genetic mutations and a nutrient-deprived microenvironment. Differing mutations and substrate availability create a dynamic and metabolically heterogeneous tumour. This heterogeneity drives tumour recurrence, metastasis and drug resistance leading to a poor clinical outcome for cancer patients.
Molecular imaging can non-invasively measure the spatial and temporal dynamics of cancer metabolism. Research in our group uses state-of-the art PET/MR imaging, metabolomics and genomics to understand the drivers and consequences of metabolic heterogeneity in living tumours. The goal of this research is to develop methods to non-invasively classify tumours and to direct cancer treatment.
Radionuclide imaging of lung tumour development (place cursor over image to play video):
EmailYoung Investigator of the Year Award Finalist (World Molecular Imaging Congress, New York), 2016
See the following interviews about Dr Lewis' work:
- Technology Networks interview "Cell Metabolism and Cancer"
- That's TV Scotland interview about RadNet funding
Other funding:
Lab Report
Key Publications
Witney, T. H. and D. Y. Lewis (2019). Imaging Cancer Metabolism with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Methods Mol Biol 1928: 29-44.
Lewis, D. Y., R. Mair, A. Wright, K. Allinson, S. K. Lyons, T. Booth, J. Jones, R. Bielik, D. Soloviev and K. M. Brindle (2018). [18F]fluoroethyltyrosine-induced Cerenkov Luminescence Improves Image-Guided Surgical Resection of Glioma. Theranostics 8(14): 3991-4002.
Brindle, K. M., J. L. Izquierdo-Garcia, D. Y. Lewis, R. J. Mair and A. J. Wright (2017). Brain Tumor Imaging. J Clin Oncol 35(21): 2432-2438.
Neves, A. A., B. Xie, S. Fawcett, I. S. Alam, T. H. Witney, M. M. de Backer, J. Summers, W. Hughes, S. McGuire, D. Soloviev, J. Miller, W. J. Howat, D. E. Hu, T. B. Rodrigues, D. Y. Lewis and K. M. Brindle (2017). Rapid Imaging of Tumor Cell Death In Vivo Using the C2A Domain of Synaptotagmin-I. J Nucl Med 58(6): 881-887.
Lewis DY, Boren J, Shaw GL, Bielik R, Ramos-Montoya A, Larkin TJ, Martins CP, Neal DE, Soloviev D, Brindle KM. Late Imaging with [1-11C]Acetate Improves Detection of Tumor Fatty Acid Synthesis with PET. Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 2014; 55: 1144-1149.
Biography
Education and qualifications
2008: PhD Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
2003: BSc Pharmacology (First Class Honours), University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
Appointments
2017-present: Group Leader, Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, Glasgow, UK
2012-2016: Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Radionuclide Imaging Facility, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
2011-2016: Research Associate, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, UK
2009-2016: Honorary Visiting Researcher, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, UK
2015: 'CRUK Awarded' Visiting Scholar, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
2009-2012: Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Cambridge Research Institute, Cancer Research UK
2008-2009: Research Fellow in Neuroscience, Translational Medicine Research Collaboration, University of Glasgow, UK
2007-2008: Study Director, CNS and Rodent Safety Pharmacology, Aptuit Limited, Riccarton, UK
2003-2008: Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Pharmacology, University of Strathclyde, UK
Current committee membership
Steering Board, CRUK RadNet
Honours and 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
Recent Publications
2025
May S, Stevenson K, Alqarafi B, Yin Swe KL, Bloom A, Mackintosh A, Müller M, Georgakopoulou A, Drake TM, Kiourtis C, Karim SA, Nixon C, Cadden B, Duffton A, Grose D, Lewis DY, Blyth K, Chalmers AJ, Bird TG. A precision image-guided murine model of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Dis Model Mech. 2025.
Müller M, May S, Hall H, Kendall TJ, McGarry L, Blukacz L, Nuciforo S, Georgakopoulou A, Jamieson T, Phinichkusolchit N, Dhayade S, Suzuki T, Huguet-Pradell J, Powley IR, Officer-Jones L, Pennie RL, Esteban-Fabró R, Gris-Oliver A, Pinyol R, Skalka GL, Leslie J, Hoare M, Sprangers J, Malviya G, Mackintosh A, Johnson E, McCain M, Halpin J, Kiourtis C, Nixon C, Clark G, Clark W, Shaw R, Hedley A, Drake TM, Tan EH, Neilson M, Murphy DJ, Lewis DY, Reeves HL, Le Quesne J, Mann DA, Carlin LM, Blyth K, Llovet JM, Heim MH, Sansom OJ, Miller CJ, Bird TG. Human-correlated genetic models identify precision therapy for liver cancer. Nature. 2025.
Shaw RC, Morgan TEF, McErlain H, Alcaide-Corral CJ, Waldman AD, Soloviev D, Lewis DY, Sutherland A, Tavares AAS. Assessment of a 6-arylaminobenzamide lead derivative as a potential core scaffold for S1P(5) positron emission tomography radiotracer development. Bioorg Med Chem. 2025;119:118057.
Sushentsev N, Hamm G, Manavaki R, McLean MA, Birchall J, Soloviev D, Lewis DY, Aloj L, Flint L, Zakirov A, Mills IG, Gnanapragasam VJ, Warren AY, Barry ST, Goodwin RJA, Gallagher FA, Barrett T. Spatial metabolomics informs the use of clinical imaging for improved detection of cribriform prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025;122(26):e2502423122.
2024
Hesketh RL, Lewis DY, Brindle KM. Optimisation of Animal Handing and Timing of 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose PET Tumour Imaging in Mice. Mol Imaging Biol. 2024.
Lefebvre TL, Sweeney PW, Grohl J, Hacker L, Brown EL, Else TR, Oraiopoulou ME, Bloom A, Lewis DY, Bohndiek SE. Performance evaluation of image co-registration methods in photoacoustic mesoscopy of the vasculature. Phys Med Biol. 2024;69(21).
Malviya G, Lannagan TRM, Johnson E, Mackintosh A, Bielik R, Peters A, Soloviev D, Brown G, Jackstadt R, Nixon C, Gilroy K, Campbell A, Sansom OJ, Lewis DY. Noninvasive Stratification of Colon Cancer by Multiplex PET Imaging. Clin Cancer Res. 2024:Of1-of12.
Lewis DY. Multiplexing Autoradiography. Methods Mol Biol. 2024:423-439.
2023
Brown G, Soloviev D, Lewis DY. Radiosynthesis and Analysis of (S)-4-(3-[(18)F]Fluoropropyl)-L-Glutamic Acid. Mol Imaging Biol. 2023;10.1007/s11307-022-01793-3.
Dzien P, Mackintosh A, Malviya G, Johnson E, Soloviev D, Brown G, Uribe AH, Nixon C, Lyons SK, Maddocks O, Blyth K, Lewis DY. Positron emission tomography imaging of the sodium iodide symporter senses real-time energy stress in vivo. Cancer Metab. 2023;11(1):14.
Farahmand P, Gyuraszova K, Rooney C, Raffo-Iraolagoitia XL, Jayasekera G, Hedley A, Johnson E, Chernova T, Malviya G, Hall H, Monteverde T, Blyth K, Duffin R, Carlin LM, Lewis D, Le Quesne J, MacFarlane M, Murphy DJ. Asbestos accelerates disease onset in a genetic model of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Frontiers in Toxicology. 2023;5.
Merrill JR, Inguscio A, Chung T, Demestichas B, Garcia LA, Habel J, Lewis DY, Janowitz T, Lyons SK. Sensitive, non-immunogenic in vivo imaging of cancer metastases and immunotherapy response. Cell Stress. 2023;7(8):59-68.
Villar VH, Allega MF, Deshmukh R, Ackermann T, Nakasone MA, Vande Voorde J, Drake TM, Oetjen J, Bloom A, Nixon C, Müller M, May S, Tan EH, Vereecke L, Jans M, Blancke G, Murphy DJ, Huang DT, Lewis DY, Bird TG, Sansom OJ, Blyth K, Sumpton D, Tardito S. Hepatic glutamine synthetase controls N5-methylglutamine in homeostasis and cancer. Nature Chemical Biology. 2023;19:292-300.
Ferrer M, Anthony TG, Ayres JS, Biffi G, Brown JC, Caan BJ, Cespedes Feliciano EM, Coll AP, Dunne RF, Goncalves MD, Grethlein J, Heymsfield SB, Hui S, Jamal-Hanjani M, Lam JM, Lewis DY, McCandlish D, Mustian KM, O'Rahilly S, Perrimon N, White EP, Janowitz T. Cachexia: A systemic consequence of progressive, unresolved disease. Cell. 2023;186:1824-1845.
2022
Soloviev D, Dzien P, Mackintosh A, Malviya G, Brown G, Lewis D. High molar activity [(18)F]tetrafluoroborate synthesis for sodium iodide symporter imaging by PET. EJNMMI Radiopharm Chem. 2022;7:32.
2021
Najumudeen AK, Ceteci F, Fey SK, Hamm G, Steven RT, Hall H, Nikula CJ, Dexter A, Murta T, Race AM, Sumpton D, Vlahov N, Gay DM, Knight JRP, Jackstadt R, Leach JDG, Ridgway RA, Johnson ER, Nixon C, Hedley A, Gilroy K, Clark W, Malla SB, Dunne PD, Rodriguez-Blanco G, Critchlow SE, Mrowinska A, Malviya G, Solovyev D, Brown G, Lewis DY, Mackay GM, Strathdee D, Tardito S, Gottlieb E, Takats Z, Barry ST, Goodwin RJA, Bunch J, Bushell M, Campbell AD, Sansom OJ. The amino acid transporter SLC7A5 is required for efficient growth of KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer. Nat Genet. 2021;53(1):16-26.
Woitek R, McLean MA, Ursprung S, Rueda OM, Manzano Garcia R, Locke MJ, Beer L, Baxter G, Rundo L, Provenzano E, Kaggie JD, Patterson A, Frary A, Field-Rayner J, Papalouka V, Kane J, Benjamin AJV, Gill AB, Priest AN, Lewis DY, Russell R, Grimmer A, White B, Latimer EC, Patterson I, Schiller A, Carmo B, Slough R, Lanz T, Wason J, Schulte RF, Chin SF, Graves MJ, Gilbert FJ, Abraham J, Caldas C, Brindle KM, Sala E, Gallagher FA. Hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI for early response assessment of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Cancer Res. 2021;81: 6004–6017
2020
Malviya G, Patel R, Salji M, Martinez RS, Repiscak P, Mui E, Champion S, Mrowinska A, Johnson E, AlRasheedi M, Pimlott S, Lewis D, Leung HY. 18F-Fluciclovine PET metabolic imaging reveals prostate cancer tumour heterogeneity associated with disease resistance to androgen deprivation therapy. EJNMMI Research. 2020;10(1):143.
2019
Hesketh RL, Wang J, Wright AJ, Lewis DY, Denton AE, Grenfell R, Miller JL, Bielik R, Gehrung M, Fala M, Ros S, Xie B, Hu DE, Brindle KM. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is More Sensitive Than PET for Detecting Treatment-Induced Cell Death-Dependent Changes in Glycolysis. Cancer research. 2019; 79: 3557-3569.
Witney TH, Lewis DY. Imaging Cancer Metabolism with Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, NJ) 2019; 1928: 29-44.
2018
Serrao EM, Kettunen MI, Rodrigues TB, Lewis DY, Gallagher FA, Hu DE, Brindle KM. Analysis of (13) C and (14) C labeling in pyruvate and lactate in tumor and blood of lymphoma-bearing mice injected with (13) C- and (14) C-labeled pyruvate. NMR Biomed 2018; 31: e3901.
Zmuda F, Blair A, Liuzzi MC, Malviya G, Chalmers AJ, Lewis D, Sutherland A, Pimlott SL. An (18)F-Labeled Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Agent. J Med Chem 2018; 61: 4103-14.
2017
Neves AA, Xie B, Fawcett S, Alam IS, Witney TH, de Backer MM, Summers J, Hughes W, McGuire S, Soloviev D, Miller J, Howat WJ, Hu DE, Rodrigues TB, Lewis DY, Brindle KM. Rapid Imaging of Tumor Cell Death in vivo using the C2A domain of Synaptotagmin-I. J Nucl Med 2017; 58: 881-7
Brindle KM, Izquierdo-Garcia JL, Lewis DY, Mair RJ, Wright AJ. Brain Tumor Imaging. J Clin Oncol 2017; 35: 2432-38
2016
Heinzmann K, Honess DJ, Lewis DY, Smith DM, Cawthorne C, Keen H, Heskamp S, Schelhaas S, Witney TH, Soloviev D, Williams KJ, Jacobs AH, Aboagye EO, Griffiths JR, Brindle KM. The relationship between endogenous thymidine concentrations and [18F]FLT uptake in a range of preclinical tumour models. EJNMMI Research. 2016; 6: 63
Serrao EM, Kettunen MI, Rodrigues TB, Dzien P, Wright AJ, Gopinathan A, Gallagher FA, Lewis DY, Frese KK, Almeida J, Howat WJ, Tuveson DA, Brindle KM. MRI with hyperpolarised [1 13C]pyruvate detects advanced pancreatic preneoplasia prior to invasive disease in a mouse model. Gut. 2016: 65, 465-475
Lab Members
Principal Scientific Officer
Emma Brown
E.Brown@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I’m a Principal Scientific Officer responsibly for managing the PET/MRI Translational Molecular Imaging facility at the CRUK Scotland Institute with Prof. David Lewis. I ensure the efficient running of this facility and engage in multiple collaborative projects within the CRUK SI and further afield. My research interests surround the use of molecular imaging to non-invasively probe tumour evolution, and the biological validation of in vivo imaging signals. I previously completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge in Professor Sarah Bohndiek’s lab, focused on photoacoustic imaging of breast cancer mouse models. As part of Team CANCAN, a Cancer Cachexia Cancer Grand Challenge, I apply broad knowledge of molecular imaging and mouse models to use pre-clinical PET/MRI to probe systemic changes in metabolism during tumour development and cancer cachexia. I am a proud leadership committee member of the Women in Molecular Imaging Network (WIMIN), part of the World Molecular Imaging Society. Outside of work, I sing classical music and enjoy exploring the Scottish countryside.
Postdoctoral Scientists
Irene Caldera-Quevedo
I.Caldera-Quevedo@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral researcher specialising in tumour biology and immunometabolism, with a focus on how tumour cell-of-origin and immune metabolism shape cancer heterogeneity and therapeutic response. Originally from Spain, I have pursued my academic journey across Europe, completing a BSc in Biomedical Sciences in Barcelona and a PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Glasgow, where I investigated tumour metabolic heterogeneity and tumour immunometabolism using omics and molecular imaging and RadioFlow. When not in the lab, I enjoy reading, walking my dog and I love going for a brunch!
Lisa Duff
L.Duff@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I’m a Postdoctoral Researcher and work on Cancer Cachexia as part of a CANCAN Cancer Grand Challenge. My main role is quantitative PET image analysis using AI, radiomics and whole-body analysis. I completed my PhD at the University of Leeds, where I investigated the diagnosis of Large Vessel Vasculitis using quantitative analysis of PET-CT. Before that, I studied Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh, where I developed a strong interest in interdisciplinary medical research. Outside of work, I enjoy running, arts and crafts, and reading.
Fraser Edgar
F.Edgar@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral research scientist investigating the metabolic underpinnings of cancer cachexia. I develop new carbon-11 radiolabelled amino acids and metabolites for Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Outside of the lab I enjoy hiking and finding new eateries.
Chrysoula Vraka
C.Vraka@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
As Senior Postdoc in David Lewis’s molecular imaging group, my main focus is image-based metabolic phenotyping of KRAS driven lung cancer mouse models using positron emission tomography (PET). To overcome poor spatial resolution of PET, I am currently establishing radioactive cell sorting (posiFlow) with the aim to understand immune cell metabolism and metabolite competition within the tumour microenvironment (TME) and lymphoid organs in cancer. Using total PET body information of the TME and lymphatic organs, combined with molecular biology techniques, a further objective is to investigate the role of immune-metabolism in tumour heterogeneity and progression and the contribution of immune cell dynamics to it. In my leisure time, I like to watch art-house movies, cook, produce wood crafts and like to get inspired by all kinds of museums.
Senior Scientific Officers
Abdullah Alyamani
A.Alyamani@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I am a cancer research scientist with a PhD in Cancer Sciences and expertise in in vivo oncology, focusing on genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), molecular imaging, and tumour biology. Currently, I work at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute (Beatson Institute) as a Senior Scientific Officer, leading preclinical research on lung, colorectal, and liver cancers, as well as orthotopic tumour models. My work combines advanced imaging (PET/MRI), molecular analysis, and transgenic models to uncover disease mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets. I also coordinate molecular imaging studies with teams at the Institute and the University of Glasgow. Originally from Saudi Arabia, I enjoy sports and social activities in my free time.
Robert Bielik
R.Bielik@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
Hello, my name is Robert, but most people call me Robbie. I work as a Principal Scientific Officer in David’s Molecular Imaging Group. I am a radiochemist, cancer biologist, and PET imaging scientist. I am passionate about tumour metabolism – specifically, I am interested in understanding how cancers grow and how we can exploit metabolic vulnerabilities to treat cancers. I focus on studying the causes and consequences of tumour metabolic heterogeneity, particularly in lung cancer, and how nutrients such as glucose and acetate are utilised in lung cancer across time and multiple scales using multiplexed PET in vivo imaging and complementary methods such as radioactive tracer and stable isotope tracing techniques, mass spectrometry imaging and spatial biology methods. I am originally from Slovakia, where I did my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in chemistry and physical chemistry. I then moved to the UK, where I worked as a radiochemist at the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre (Prof. Franklin Aigbirhio’s lab) and was a PhD student at the CRUK Cambridge Institute (Prof. Kevin Brindle’s lab). I support the group’s day-to-day management and enjoy co-supervising students in our lab. I embrace collaborations within the institute and with external research groups. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, cycling, music, dancing and playing table tennis. I also love travelling, cooking, and spending time with my family and friends.
Senior Image Analyst
Algernon Bloom
Alge.Bloom@glasgow.ac.uk
I am a Senior Image Analyst specialising in the development of AI-driven solutions for medical imaging. My work focuses on creating innovative tools for the segmentation, classification, and patient stratification of radiological images, helping to advance precision medicine through computational approaches. I'm passionate about streamlining data analysis pipelines through automation, making advanced imaging analysis more accessible to healthcare providers. Outside of work, you'll find me exploring virtual worlds through gaming or expressing my creative side through music.
Clinical Training Fellow
Adam Peters
Adam.Peters@glasgow.ac.uk
I am a clinical research fellow and a clinical (radiation) oncologist undertaking a PhD. My clinical work is based at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. My research focuses on how cancer metabolism influences resistance to radiotherapy in lung cancer. Principally, I am investigating how mitochondrial metabolism and carnitine function supports radioresistant lung cancer. I utilise a variety of methods including clonogenic survival assays, molecular imaging and metabolomics to probe my research questions. This work is in collaboration with Tom MacVicar’s lab group. I currently work to develop clinically translatable models to advance radiotherapy research. I would love to take some of my preclinical work into the clinic in the future. Outside of work I like to run and cycle to unwind, and I am an active member of my running club Shettleston Harriers. I also like to listen to music and spend quality time with my family.
PhD Students
Anggraeni Ayu Rengganis
3000582r@student.gla.ac.uk
I am a PhD student in Cancer Sciences at the University of Glasgow, supported by the LPDP scholarship. I joined the CRUK Scotland Institute under the supervision of Dr. David Lewis and Dr. Helen Mulvana from the Centre for Medical and Industrial Ultrasonics (C-MIU), focusing on microbubble size isolation using ultrasound in breast cancer models. My research explores how ultrasound, combined with microbubble contrast agents, can enhance visualization of tumor vascularization to improve early cancer diagnosis and therapy. Previously, I trained as a medical doctor at Universitas Gadjah Mada. Outside of research, I enjoy exploring new places, especially the charming countryside of Scotland.
Rashmi Gibikote Nagendra
2851253n@student.gla.ac.uk
I’m a PhD student in the lab, where I’m exploring how metabolism changes in lung and colorectal cancer cachexia, with a particular focus on the role of immune cells in driving these changes. Before this, I studied Cancer Research and Precision Oncology at the University of Glasgow and have a background in biotechnology and genetics. I’m originally from India and moved to the UK for my studies. Outside the lab, I’m happiest curled up with a good fantasy novel, swimming laps, or wandering around Scotland (especially when it’s raining). I’m also a self-confessed nerd who loves anything a little bit geeky.
