LAMB2 and cancer: Degradation of the extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) is required during tissue remodelling and during the progression of many types of cancer.22, 23 To investigate integrity of the extracellular matrix, we examined the distribution of Laminin, which is a major component both of the basement membrane underpinning the basal side of epithelial cells and of the gliovascular basal lamina of the blood brain barrier.