Emerling received her B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz and her PhD in molecular and cellular biology from Northwestern University. Emerling did her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She then became an Instructor of Cancer Biology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, where she continued her research on lipid kinase signaling and cancer metabolism. In August 2016, Brooke joined the faculty at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute as an Assistant Professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Signaling Networks Program.
Funding Awards and Collaborative Grants
Breast Cancer Research Foundation – AACR Career Development Award for Translational Breast Cancer Research
Mary Kay Foundation Innovative Translational Grant Award
Department of Defense Breast Research Program Breakthrough Award
Honors and Recognition
2014: NextGen Star – AACR Early-Career Speaker Award
2013-2016: Mastercard Ajay Banga Scientist Award
2013: AACR – Aflac Travel Fellowship Award
Related Disease
Breast Cancer, Cancer
Phenomena or Processes
Cancer Biology, Cancer Metabolism, Cell Signaling, Metabolic Processes, Signal Transduction
Research in the Emerling Lab is focused on understanding key signaling and metabolic pathways involved in the regulation of cellular function under pathological conditions such as cancer. Our research program centers around dissecting the roles of the family of non-canonical phosphatidylinositol kinases, called the phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate 4-kinases (PI5P4Ks), in cancer metabolism using a multi-disciplinary approach integrating human, mouse, and worm models. Currently, a major research project in the Emerling Lab is determining the role of the PI5P4Ks in p53 mutant cancers, especially the triple-negative breast cancer subgroup where targeted therapies have not been effective.
Feb 12, 2025Curebound awards two grants to Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists
Feb 12, 2025The San Diego-based philanthropic organization has awarded $43 million in cancer research to date.
Oct 18, 2024Two Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists selected for American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowships
Oct 18, 2024The funds will support Alicia Llorente Lope and Ambroise Manceau who study breast and pancreatic cancer.
May 28, 2024Overlooked lipid connected to ancient cellular pathway with links to cancer
May 28, 2024Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and Vanderbilt University uncover a new role for a neglected lipid that may play a…
Jun 30, 2022Three Sanford Burnham Prebys faculty receive promotions
Jun 30, 2022The promoted faculty, all from the Institute’s NCI-designated Cancer Center, include Ani Deshpande, PhD, Brooke Emerling, PhD and Charles Spruck,…
Press Release: Study offers new approach to starve p53 deficient tumors
Select Publications
Showing 3 of 3Phosphatidylinositol-5-Phosphate 4-Kinases Regulate Cellular Lipid Metabolism By Facilitating Autophagy.
Lundquist MR, Goncalves MD, Loughran RM, Possik E, Vijayaraghavan T, Yang A, Pauli C, Ravi A, Verma A, Yang Z, Johnson JL, Wong JCY, Ma Y, Hwang KS, Weinkove D, Divecha N, Asara JM, Elemento O, Rubin MA, Kimmelman AC, Pause A, Cantley LC, Emerling BM
Mol Cell 2018 May 3 ;70(3):531-544.e9The Lipid Kinase PI5P4Kβ Is an Intracellular GTP Sensor for Metabolism and Tumorigenesis.
Sumita K, Lo YH, Takeuchi K, Senda M, Kofuji S, Ikeda Y, Terakawa J, Sasaki M, Yoshino H, Majd N, Zheng Y, Kahoud ER, Yokota T, Emerling BM, Asara JM, Ishida T, Locasale JW, Daikoku T, Anastasiou D, Senda T, Sasaki AT
Mol Cell 2016 Jan 21 ;61(2):187-98Depletion of a putatively druggable class of phosphatidylinositol kinases inhibits growth of p53-null tumors.
Emerling BM, Hurov JB, Poulogiannis G, Tsukazawa KS, Choo-Wing R, Wulf GM, Bell EL, Shim HS, Lamia KA, Rameh LE, Bellinger G, Sasaki AT, Asara JM, Yuan X, Bullock A, Denicola GM, Song J, Brown V, Signoretti S, Cantley LC
Cell 2013 Nov 7 ;155(4):844-57