Dr Merino is the head of the Tumour Progression and Heterogeneity laboratory at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. Her overall objective is to identify the biological features of the cells which are most likely to resist standard therapy and form clinically relevant macro-metastasis. Her laboratory is building models, using several technologies including cellular barcoding, sequencing and imaging, to understand how these cells survive in different organs and interact with their microenvironment. These models will be useful not only to understand how the tumour spreads, but also to identify new therapies for the treatment of advanced disease.