Lance Liotta

Lance Liotta defined the three-step model of tumor invasion (attachment, degradation, locomotion) and discovered that metastatic cancer cells secrete type IV collagenase to degrade basement membranes, establishing the molecular mechanism by which cancer cells breach tissue barriers during the metastatic cascade. His identification of specific metalloproteinases responsible for basement membrane degradation launched the field of MMP research in cancer and drove the development of MMP inhibitors as anti-metastatic agents. He pioneered proteomic analysis of the tumor microenvironment. His three-step invasion model remains the conceptual basis for understanding how cancer cells physically penetrate tissue barriers during metastasis.