BIG QUESTION: How do cells move in a multi-cellular environment?  OUR APPROACH: Compare the movement of normal and mutant cells to identify which molecules are important for motion within a cell mass and/or study the effects of drugs which alter the motion.    The long term objective of our laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which cells move within a three-dimensional, multicellular mass. This movement is more complex than migration of an isolated cell on a flat substrate, because cells within a mass must gain traction on each other and also clear paths for themselves within and through the cell mass. We study such "3D cell motion" using time-lapse 3D microscopy which permits us to observe locomotion in living specimens over extended time periods. Two model systems are currently under study. The first is the movement of amoeboid cells within the multicellular mass of the slime mold Dictyostelium, and the second is the migration of tumor cells in rat brains.   Why study 3D cell motion? Cell movement is a critical process for life. Cells undergo extensive movements as an embryo develops. In the adult, cells migrate to the site of an infection. In the spread of cancer, invading cells move through a tissue. We seek to understand how cells accomplish this movement by studying the process in a simple organism which is easy to manipulate experimentally.  To learn more about the specifics of our research, please explore our web site by clicking on any of the research projects listed in the table of contents above.