
Zebrafish models of cancer
The zebrafish has emerged as a premier model for studying cancer progression and metastasis. We have developed a transparent strain of zebrafish, called casper, that allows for unprecedented imaging of how tumor cells interact with cells in the surrounding microenvironment. These cell-cell interactions play fundamental roles in shaping tumor cell behavior. Using a zebrafish model of melanoma, we use state of the art genetic engineering and high-resolution imaging to dissect these interactions. Our goal is to understand the mechanisms that allow tumors to successfully disseminate and take hold in new locations, which is the major cause of cancer mortality.

Richard White, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Focus
Cancer biologist and oncologist Richard White uses the zebrafish to dissect interactions between tumor cells and the microenvironment that promote metastasis.Education
- Albany Medical College: M.D., Ph.D.
- Yale New Haven Hospital: Internal Medicine Residency & Chief Residency
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute & Massachusetts General Hospital: Medical Oncology Fellowship
- Children’s Hospital Boston & Harvard Medical School: Postdoctoral Fellowship
Publications
- Adipocyte-derived lipids mediate melanoma progression via FATP proteins. Zhang M, Di Martino JS, Bowman RL, Campbell NR, Baksh SC, Simon-Vermot T, Kim IS, Haldeman P, Mondal C, Yong-Gonzalez V, Abu-Akeel M, Merghoub T, Jones DR, Zhu XG, Arora A, Ariyan CE, Birsoy K, Wolchok JD, Panageas KS, Hollmann TJ, Bravo-Cordero JJ, White RM. Cancer Discovery 2018 Jun 14.
- Distant Insulin Signaling Regulates Vertebrate Pigmentation through the Sheddase Bace2. Zhang YM, Zimmer MA, Guardia T, Callahan SJ, Mondal C, Di Martino J, Takagi T, Fennell M, Garippa R, Campbell NR, Bravo-Cordero JJ, White RM Developmental Cell 2018 Jun 8.
Selected Achievements
- NIH Directors New Innovator Award
- Young Mentor Award, Melanoma Research Alliance
- Young Investigator Award, American Association for Cancer Research/American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Young Mentor Award, Harvard Medical School
- Outstanding Educator Award, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine