Brittany Allen-Petersen, PhD

Research Project:
Understanding How a Protein Suppresses Lung Cancer Cells’ Ability to Spread

Grant Awarded:

Innovation Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
mechanisms of metastasis
proteomics

Research Disease:

lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with only 25% of patients surviving for five years after diagnosis. Metastasis, or colonization of lung cancer cells in distant parts of the body, significantly contributes to this low survival rate. It represents an important clinical challenge as there are limited treatment options for these patients. For lung cancer cells to become metastatic, they lose their typical cell characteristics and start to gain more invasive properties in a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our research focuses on how protein phosphatases suppress the ability of lung cancer cells to undergo EMT. Protein phosphatases function as critical "off" switches in the cell and are commonly disrupted in cancer. We will investigate how a particular protein phosphatase, PP2A, regulates EMT and prevents resistance to therapies, increasing our understanding of this deadly disease.

Supported by the Mary Fuller Russell Fund

Page last updated: October 29, 2025

Brittany Allen-Petersen, PhD

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