Danny Welch

Danny Welch discovered multiple metastasis suppressor genes including KISS1 (encoding metastin) and BRMS1, demonstrating that specific genes can suppress metastatic colonization without affecting primary tumor growth, a conceptual breakthrough that separated the genetic control of metastasis from that of tumorigenesis. His identification of KISS1 revealed that the metastin/kisspeptin peptide suppresses metastatic colonization through GPR54 receptor signaling and has implications for both cancer biology and reproductive endocrinology. He helped establish the metastasis suppressor gene paradigm alongside NM23 discovery. His work has identified druggable pathways that specifically inhibit metastatic progression.