How cells decide to move or divide
Cell Signaling and Cell Decisions
Researchers are learning how individual cells decide when to move or start dividing to better understand what goes wrong in cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11329985 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This laboratory project uses advanced single-cell fluorescent reporters, fast perturbations, and automated microscopy to watch signaling inside individual mammalian cells over time. The team will study how receptor signals, cell–cell contacts, and cell–matrix contacts combine to create signaling gradients that trigger a cell to polarize, move, or enter the cell cycle. Experiments use cultured cells and animal models to compare normal decision-making with changes caused by cancer-related mutations. The work is basic research done at Weill Cornell and does not enroll patients, but it aims to reveal mechanisms that underlie tumor growth and spread.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This project is laboratory-based and does not enroll patients, so there are no patient participants to join.
Not a fit: Patients seeking direct or immediate treatment benefits are unlikely to benefit from this grant because it focuses on basic cell biology in the lab rather than clinical care or trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal molecular switches that drive cancer cell movement and division, pointing to new targets to stop tumor growth or metastasis.
How similar studies have performed: Single-cell imaging and signaling reporter methods have provided important insights into cell behavior, but applying them specifically to the coupled decisions to move and divide is a relatively new and evolving approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meyer, Tobias — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Meyer, Tobias
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.