New Team Science Award is $1.5 million over three years
NEW YORK, NY (June 17, 2025) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) announces today a new funding mechanism: the 2025 LCRF Team Science Award on Advancing Therapies Toward Curing EGFR Mutated Lung Cancers. The Request for Proposals is now open for submissions. Designed to bring together scientific teams to accomplish innovative breakthroughs, this team science award must include at least two projects directed at understanding and treatment of resistant or persistent disease in EGFR mutated lung cancer.
Lung cancer is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other cancer, accounting for an estimated 124,730 deaths annually in the United States alone.1 In the last 10 to 15 years, accelerated clinical trials and FDA approvals of targeted therapies for non-small cell lung carcinoma have been possible in part due to advances in molecular profiling of tumors. Many of these targeted therapies are directed against oncogenic drivers.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were the first oncogenic drivers that were successfully targeted with the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Subsequently additional oncogenic driver alterations in EML4-ALK, BRAF, RET, KRAS G12C, HER2, MET, NTRK, ROS1 and NRG1 were identified along with corresponding therapeutic options for treatment. Several TKIs including gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, and osimertinib have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of EGFR mutated (EGFRmut+) non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC.) Despite substantial progress in the treatment of EGFRmut+ lung cancer, available treatments are not curative, and resistance invariably develops. Sometimes biopsies are repeated to identify the source of resistance to potentially evaluate patients for additional targeted therapy. Usually, at some point in time chemotherapy is employed to treat the disease. Immunotherapy in the form of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment of many forms of lung cancer but has not proven effective in the treatment of most oncogene-driven lung cancers.
Given that therapeutic options available to date are not curative, there is a need for novel approaches to treat these lung cancers and improve outcomes for patients with the ultimate intention of cure. This grant mechanism will focus on furthering the development of novel therapies for patients with EGFRmut+ NSCLC.
“There has been so much scientific discovery in EGFR mutated lung cancer, and with the development of targeted treatments, patients are living longer,” said Benay Taub, lung cancer survivor. “However, even with the best of circumstances, resistance develops and we need patients to have more treatment options. The goal of this award is to support a team of committed researchers in pursuit of improved treatments and outcomes for lung cancer patients and hopefully, one day, a cure.”
“EGFR discoveries were the start of oncogene-driven treatment and while the science has made great strides, there is still a significant need for more to be discovered,” says Dr. Antoinette Wozniak, Chief Scientific Officer for LCRF. “Our commitment to people affected by lung cancer is simple: continue to fund research that pushes the boundaries of what is known to what is possible – toward a cure. This award will hopefully move the science in that direction.”
“Tomorrow’s breakthroughs are made possible by research that happens today,” emphasized David Carbone, MD, PhD, Director, Translational Therapeutics Program, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and member of LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board. “Taking a team approach to combatting resistance in EGFR mutant lung cancer promises to accelerate the pace of discovery.”
This new Team Science Award is made possible by a generous private donation from Benay and Steven Taub. Their visionary support reflects a deep belief in the power of collaboration to drive scientific discovery.
Submissions to the Request for Proposals will be reviewed through a two-step process: Letters of Intent will be accepted until midnight on July 29, 2025; if selected, projects will then be chosen to submit full proposals. All applications will be subject to a rigorous review by LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board. More details about the Request for Proposals, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found at LCRF.org/FundingOpportunities.
1. Siegel RL, Giaquinto AM, Jemal A. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Vol 24, Issue 1, Jan/Feb 2024
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About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 429 research grants, totaling nearly $48 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information about the LCRF grant program and funding opportunities, visit LCRF.org/research.
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LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (LCRF)
Sheila Sullivan
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ssullivan@LCRF.org