Isaiah Fidler

Isaiah Fidler established the experimental framework for modern metastasis research by demonstrating that tumors are heterogeneous populations containing rare subclones with enhanced metastatic capacity, and that metastasis is a highly selective process favoring cells that can complete every step of the metastatic cascade. His B16 melanoma experimental metastasis model became the standard tool for studying the biology of metastatic colonization. He demonstrated that the metastatic phenotype is heritable and selectable, proving that metastatic capacity is genetically encoded rather than random. His conceptual framework of metastasis as a multi-step selective process has guided four decades of metastasis research.