Groups introduce $2.5 million, four-year research partnership focused on finding cure for oncogene-driven lung cancers
NEW YORK, NY (December 5, 2023) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) today announced a new research partnership, titled IASLC – LCRF Team Science Research Grant on the Next Step in the Cure of Oncogene-Driven Lung Cancers.
Lung cancer is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other cancer, accounting for an estimated 130,180 deaths annually in the United States alone. 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, with EGFR as one of the first oncogenic drivers that was successfully targeted with the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs.) Shortly thereafter, EML4-ALK rearrangements were identified as molecular markers and tumors harboring these alterations could successfully be treated with molecularly targeted agents. Subsequently additional oncogenic driver alterations in BRAF, RET, KRAS G12C, HER2, MET, NTRK, and ROS1 were identified along with corresponding therapeutic options for treatment. Despite substantial progress in this area, available treatments are not curative, and resistance to those treatments invariably develops.
Because current therapeutic options are not curative, IASLC and LCRF have created this Team Science award to focus on furthering the development of novel therapies, including immunotherapeutic approaches, for patients with oncogene-driven lung cancers. It is the intent of the two organizations to fund work that will have the potential to increase survivorship, and have a near-term benefit for these patients.
“Resistance in oncogene-driven lung cancers is a frustrating inevitability for these patients,” says Dr. Antoinette Wozniak, Chief Scientific Officer for LCRF. “Partnering with IASLC on funding research that will bring us closer to a cure is not only exciting, it is the right thing to do. We firmly believe that it is in working together – funders as well as researchers – that solutions will be discovered and survivorship will increase.”
“We, along with LCRF, recognize that it takes teams of people to address large, complicated problems like oncogenic-driven lung cancers and resistance to therapy,” says Dr. Karen Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, IASLC. “We’re pleased to be collaborating with LCRF to create this Team Science award to work on curing oncogenic-driven lung cancers.”
The IASLC-LCRF Team Science Research Grant on the Next Step in the Cure of Oncogene-Driven Lung Cancers award is expected to total $2.5 million for a period of four years to a team of researchers whose proposals have a program of closely integrated projects focused on the specific goal of curing oncogene-driven lung cancer that would not otherwise be realized by any single component of the team.
All applications will be subject to a rigorous review by IASLC’s Scientific Affairs Committee and LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board. More details about the Request for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines will soon be available at LCRF.org/FundingOpportunities.
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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 418 research grants, totaling nearly $44 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.
About IASLC
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association’s membership includes more than 10,000 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit IASLC.org for more information.
Contact:
LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (LCRF)
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@lcrf.org
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF LUNG CANCER (IASLC)
Chris Martin
IASLC Media Relations
cmartin@davidjamesgroup.com