The Richard White Lab

Zebrafish models of cancer evolution and metastasis

The zebrafish has emerged a premier model for studying cancer metastasis. We have developed a transparent strain of zebrafish, called casper, that allows for unprecedented imaging of how tumors interact with their surrounding microenvironment. The lab uses state of the art genetic engineering and imaging to dissect the mechanisms that allow tumors to successfully disseminate and take hold in new locations, which is the major cause of essentially all cancer deaths. Using a powerful genetic model of melanoma, we aim to uncover novel mechanisms that underlie cancer evolution and metastasis.