Robert Finn
Assistant Dean of Basic Sciences (UK), Associate Professor of Biochemistry
Biography
Dr. Finn earned his BSc and PhD in Biochemistry from University College Cork, Ireland. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Dundee, UK, based at Ninewells Hospital, working on anti-cancer drug metabolism and the development of appropriate transgenic models of toxicology, funded by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK.
Dr. Finn began his academic career at Northumbria University (NU), UK, where he served as senior lecturer for Biochemistry. During this time, he was also an affiliated faculty member of the St. George’s University (SGU) KBT Global Scholars Program. In 2019, he joined SGU as an Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Preclinical Sciences Program (NU).
In 2022, he became Associate Chair and Associate Content Manager of the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics with responsibility for overseeing the subject content and delivery at the NU campus in conjunction with the Department Chair in Grenada.
In 2024, Dr. Finn was appointed Assistant Dean of Basic Sciences (NU) with responsibility for overseeing the program delivery and operations at the NU campus with direction from senior administration in Grenada.
Dr. Finn is currently co-Chair of the School of Medicine (SOM) Faculty Professional Development Committee and the SOM Faculty Mentoring Oversight Group and has served as a past member of both the Basic Sciences Curriculum Subcommittee (BSCC) and the SOM Curriculum Committee.
Dr. Finn has published 21 peer-reviewed original research papers, three book chapters and contributed to nine conference proceedings. He has severed as a grant reviewer for Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council UK and the South African National Science Foundation. He is currently a member of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) and the International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE), and a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
Contact Information
Areas of Interest
- Drug metabolism
- Cytochrome P450
- Acari
- Pesticide metabolism
- Drug resistance
- Pesticide resistance
- Parasitology
- Dietary regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes
- Perturbation of lipid homeostasis and the affect drug metabolizing enzymes
Affiliations
- Member of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics|Member of the Association for Medical Education in Europe|Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.|STEM Network Ambassador. |Member of the Royal Society of Biology (2014 - 2018)|Member of the Royal Entomological Society (2014 - 2018).|Member of the Biochemical Society (2010 – 2019).|Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.|Member of Technolink Ireland-UK.|Member of the British Toxicology Society (2008 -2011).|Assessor for the Innovate UK.|Grant Reviewer for: Medical Research Council.|Reviewer for: Veterinary Parasitology, International Journal of Molecular Science, Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Parasites & Vectors, Ticks & Tick-Borne Diseases, African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Medical & Veterinary Entomology|Holder of a British Home Office Personal Animal Licence.
Selected Publications
- Fadahunsi, A.I, Kumm, C., Graham, K., Pérez de León, A.A., Guerrero, F., Oliver A E Sparagano, O.A.E. and Finn, R.D. Biochemical characterisation of Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase from the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, highlights potential new acaricide target. (2023) Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. Vol. 14, 102148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102148
- Lima-Barbero, J.F., Contreras, M., Mateos-Hernández, L., Mata-Lorenzo, F.M., Triguero-Ocaña, R., Sparagano, O., Finn, R.D., Strube, C., Price, D.R.G., Nunn, F., Bartley, K., Höfle, U., Boadella, M., Nisbet, A.J., de la Fuente, J. and Villar, M. A vaccinology Approach to the Identification and Characterization of Dermanyssus Gallinae Candidate Protective Antigens for the Control of Poultry Red Mite Infestations. (2019) Vaccines. Vol.7, no.4, 190; doi:10.3390/vaccines7040190
- Lima-Barbero, J.F., Diaz-Sanchez, S., Sparagano, O., Finn, R.D., de la Fuente, J. and Villar, M. Metaprometomics characterization of the alphaproteobacteria microbiome in different developmental and feeding stages of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae )De Geer, 1778). (2019) Avian Pathology. Vol. 48, S52-59, DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2019.1635679
- Mohammed, B.R., Mailafia, S., Kawe, S., Agbede, R.I.S. and Finn, R.D. Cytochrome P450s in Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) and Insecticide Resistance in Africa: A Mini Review. (2017) Entomol. Ornithol. Herpetol. Vol. 6, 3, DOI: 10.4172/2161-0983.1000200
- Mohammed, B.R., Simon, M.K., Opara, M.N., Jegede, O.C., Agbede, R.I.S. and Finn, R.D. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the regulation of cytochrome P450 gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). (2017) Entomol. Ornithol. Herpetol. Vol. 6, 1, DOI: 10.4172/2161-0983.1000189
- Graham K.M., Sparagano O.A.E. and Finn R.D. Isolation of the monooxygenase complex from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus – clues to understanding acaricide resistance. (2016) Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases. Vol.7, 614-623.
- George, D.R., Finn, R.D., Graham, K.M., Mul, M.F., Maure, V., Valiente Moro, C. and Sparagano, O.A. Should the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae be of wider concern for veterinary and medical science? (2015) Parasites & Vectors. Vol. 8, 178.
- George, D.R., Finn, R.D., Graham, K.M. and Sparagano, O.A. Present and future potential of plant-derived products to control arthropods of veterinary and medical significance. (2014) Parasites & Vectors. Vol. 15, 7-28.
- Henderson, C.J., McLaughlin, L.A., Finn, R.D., Ronseaux, S., Kapelyukh, Y. and Wolf, C.R. A role for cytochrome b5 in the in vivo disposition of anti-cancer and cytochrome P450 probe drugs in mice. (2014) Drug Metab Dispos. Vol. 42 (1), 70-7.
- Ismail, H.M., O'Neill, P.M., Hong, D.W., Finn, R.D., Henderson, C.J., Wright, A.T., Cravatt, B.F., Hemingway, J. and Paine, M.J. Pyrethroid activity-based probes for profiling cytochrome P450 activities associated with insecticide interactions. (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Vol. 110 (49), 19766-71.
- Riddick, D.S., Ding, X., Wolf, C.R., Porter, T.D., Pandey, A.V., Zhang, Q.Y., Gu, J., Finn. R.D., Ronseaux, S., McLaughlin, L.A., Henderson C.J., Zou, L. and Fluck, C.E. NADPH-Cytochrome P450 Oxidoreductase: Roles in Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology. (2013) Drug Metab Dispos. Vol. 41, 12-23.
- Finn, R.D., McLaughlin, L.A., Hughes, C., Song, C., Henderson, C.J. and Wolf, C.R. Cytochrome b5 null mouse: a new model for studying inherited skin disorders and the role of unsaturated fatty acids in normal homeostasis. (2011) Transgenic Research. Vol. 20, 491-502.
- McLaughlin, L.A., Ronseaux, S., Finn, R.D., Henderson, C.J. and Wolf, C.R. Deletion of microsomal cytochrome b5 affects hepatic and extra-hepatic drug metabolism. (2010) Molecular Pharmacology. Vol. 78, 269-278.
- Finn, R.D., Henderson, C.J., Scott, C.L. and Wolf, C.R. Unsaturated fatty acid regulation of Cytochrome P450 expression via a CAR-dependent pathway. (2009) Biochemical Journal. Vol. 417, 43-54.
- Finn, R.D., McLaughlin, L.A., Ronseaux, S., Rosewell, I., Houston, J.B., Henderson, C.J. and Wolf, C.R. Defining the in vivo role for cytochrome b5 in Cytochrome P450 function through the conditional hepatic deletion of microsomal cytochrome b5. (2008) Journal of Biological Chemistry. Vol. 283, No. 46, 31385-31393.
- Finn, R.D.*, McLaren, A.W., Carrie, D., Henderson, C.J. and Wolf, C.R. Conditional deletion of Cytochrome P450 Oxidoreductase in the liver and gastrointestinal tract: a new model for studying the functions of the P450 system. (2007) Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics. Vol. 322, No. 1, 40-47. (*Note: Corresponding author on this article).
- Finn, R.D., Wilkie, M., Smith, G. and Paine, M.J.I. Identification of a functionally impaired allele of human novel oxidoreductase 1 (NDOR1), NDOR1*1. (2005) Pharmacogenetics and Genomics. Vol 15, 381–386.
- Finn, R.D., Kapelioukh, I. and Paine, M.J.I. Rainbow tags: a visual tag system for recombinant protein expression and purification. (2005) BioTechniques. Vol. 38, No. 3, 390-2. Special Feature 387-8.
- Finn, R.D., Basran, J., Roitel, O., Wolf, C.R., Munro, A.W., Paine, M.J.I. and Scrutton, N.S. Determination of the redox potentials and electron transfer properties of the FAD- and FMN-binding domains of the human oxidoreductase NR1. (2003) Eur. J. Biochem, Vol. 270, 1164-1175.
- Thörnqvist, P., Bielli, A., Hendrick, A., Finn, R., Fitzgerald, K. and McCaffrey, M. The Small GTPase Rab4A interacts with the central region of Cytoplasmic Dynein Light Intermediate Chain-1. (2001) Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 281, 1141-1153.
- B. R. Mohammed, S. K. Malang, S. Mailafia, R. I. S. Agbede and R.D. Finn (2021) Role of Cytochrome P450s in Insecticide Resistance in Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae): The African Perspective. Recent Progress in Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol. 5, 144-151, Ed. E.A. Makky, ISBN: 978-93-90768-59-2
- Finn, R.D., Wolf, C.R. and Paine, M.J.I. (2002) Dissection of Human NR1 into distinct functional domains. Flavins and Flavoproteins 2002, Eds. S. Chapman, R. Perham and N. Scrutton, 987-992. ISBN-10: 3000102299
Selected Projects
SVM Research Faculty
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