Dr. Lois Mulligan
Dr. Mulligan is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and a Principal Investigator at Queen’s Cancer Research Institute. Her funded research project is titled: Investigating the Regulation of RET Receptor-Mediated Perineural Invasion and Metastasis.
The RET protein is a cell surface molecule that helps convey messages from outside the cell as part of its normal roles in human development. However, in some cancers, such as tumours of the pancreas, RET can help tumour cells to spread by following a trail of signals that leads them to move toward and along nerves that lie close to the tumour. Dr. Mulligan’s research aims to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to RET's roles in cancer invasion and spread. She will identify the key protein interactions and signals RET requires to promote invasion and also determine whether blocking or reducing these signals can prevent cancer invasion and reduce the pain it causes.