Ian Y. Wong, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘10-‘13) of Brown University, Providence, and colleagues, developed a microchip that enabled cancer cells to be imaged as they migrated across a surface that mimics the tissue surrounding a tumor. They examined cells that had undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process in which epithelial cells that stick together within a tissue, change into mesenchymal cells that can disperse and migrate individually. EMT is thought to play a role in cancer metastasis, allowing cancer cells to escape from tumor masses and colonize distant organs. This new imaging technology allows researchers to precisely measure how these cells move. Ultimately, they hope the device can be used for preliminary testing of drugs aimed at inhibiting cancer metastasis. This study was published in the journal Nature Materials.