The lymphatic system, which normally provides a conduit for fluid drainage in parallel to the circulatory system, can be co-opted as a passageway for metastasizing cancer cells. At the same time, components of the lymphatic system (e.g. lymph nodes) are often removed in the course of surgical treatment for cancer. Thus, both inhibition and stimulation of lymphatic growth is relevant to cancer. The Lawson Lab uses the zebrafish as a model to identify signals important for lymphatic development. In addition to genetic approaches, more recent efforts include using zebrafish lymphatic mutants as a platform for small molecule screens to identify therapeutic compounds that may be used to modulate lymphatic growth in disease settings.