The Lawson lab is interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the metastatic spread of cancer cells to peripheral tissues. We take a systems-level approach, using cutting edge single-cell technologies to understand how the interplay between intracellular signals within the cancer cells, and extracellular stimuli from cells in the microenvironment influence the metastatic potential of individual cancer cells. We believe that new insights into the metastatic process will lead to new drugs to prevent and treat metastatic disease.