Metastasis—the development of malignant growths distant from the original cancer site—is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in humans worldwide, but scientists do not yet fully understand how it occurs.

Led by Associate Professor Yu Suk Choi and Dr. Danielle Vahala from UWA’s School of Human Sciences, researchers have developed a three-dimensional microgel that is making it easier to study the physical environment surrounding cancer cells and how that environment influences their ability to migrate.