How do cancer cells migrate?
Cancer cells metastasize when they gain the ability to move and invade other tissues. For cancer cells to metastasize, they must break away from the primary tumor and colonize elsewhere in the body. Even though very few cancer cells wander from primary tumors and successfully colonize elsewhere, metastasis still constitutes a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. There are many cellular events that enable cancer cells to metastasize. One such important event is the breach in intercellular communication. Intercellular communication is a vital process that governs development, tissue repair, immune responses and homeostasis. Communication between cells can be achieved either directly by cell-cell contact or indirectly by the release of signaling factors that are transmitted between cells. When intercellular communication fails, a number of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and developmental abnormalities can result. We are investigating how tyrosine kinases affect i
