Overview

The spread of cancer cells from the primary tumour to secondary sites in the body (metastasis) is the overwhelming cause of death from cancer. However, because the mechanisms of metastasis remain poorly understood, few therapies directly target metastasis. Thus there is an urgent need to understand the molecular events governing metastatic cancer. The goal of research in the Focal Adhesion Biology group is to understand the fundamental regulation of cell migration, a process that underpins the development of metastatic, disseminated cancer. The definition of the core events that cause the spread of cancer cells is a key step to designing future therapies that directly target metastasis. The team's research focuses on the mechanisms that control the formation and turnover of cellular adhesions to the extra-cellular matrix that permit cell movement. The group use cell culture models and microscopy-based cell biology approaches to investigate the fundamental cellular machinery involved in adhesion turnover and to elucidate the molecular regulation of the metastasis promoting molecule HEF1 in this process.