Sebastian Amos

Metastasis, whereby cells from a primary tumour spread to other tissues, is the primary cause of cancer-related death. Metastasising cancer cells face many chemical and mechanical challenges that would ordinarily halt or kill invading cells. Yet, metastatic cancer cells survive and can even become more aggressive following exposure to these hostile conditions. This may be due to changes in the way they move through, interact with, and respond to their microenvironment, but this remains poorly understood. Sebastian has a particular interest in how changes to cancer cell adhesion and mechanical conditioning may enhance and protect metastasis. Understanding these mechanisms may highlight new therapeutic targets in the fight against cancer. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, Sebastian collaborated with biomedical engineering (BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research), bioengineering (Confinement Mechanobiology Lab, Mechanbiological Institute, National University of Singapore) and molecular and biochemistry (Park Lab, Yonsei University) groups to study the mechanobiology of metastatic cancers.