The good news The 7-year outcomes of the CROWN Trial were presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.
Why it’s important Lorlatinib is a third generation ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI, a targeted therapy). The CROWN study is a Phase 3 trial in which 296 ALK+ patients received either crizotinib, a first generation ALK-TKI, or lorlatinib. The initial results of the trial showed that lorlatinib was superior to crizotinib (Shaw A, New England Journal of Medicine, 2020) and it is FDA approved for the treatment of metastatic ALK+ NSCLC. The update presented at the ASCO meeting revealed that after 7 years of follow-up, the median time of disease control, or progression-free survival, was not yet reached for lorlatinib and was 9.1 months for the patients treated with crizotinib. At 7 years, 55% of the patients receiving lorlatinib still had no progression of their disease. Loratinib also demonstrated both superior control of existing brain metastases and a reduction in the eventual development of brain metastases. No new progression of brain metastases was reported after patients were on lorlatinib for the first 30 months.
What it means for patients Lorlatinib is very effective in the treatment of patients with advanced ALK+ NSCLC. Of importance is its ability to control existing brain metastases and prevent the development of new central nervous system (CNS) disease. There were no new side effects of concern related to the longer time on treatment. Patients who required a reduction in the lorlatinib dose did just as well as those who tolerated the full dose. Patients should always discuss risks and benefits and options for treatment with their Oncologist.
What to look for Now at 7 years, there is no doubt that the benefit of lorlatinib is substantial for most patients with ALK+ lung cancer. We must not rest on our laurels since the vast majority of patients are not ultimately cured. It will also be important to continue to develop ways to manage side effects associated with the treatment.
The good news Three of the top five presentations at the plenary session of the annual ASCO meeting could potentially impact lung cancer treatment. These presentations typically spotlight major findings that should be heard by the entire group of attendees.
The results of two lung cancer trials – LIBRETTO-432 and HARMONi-6 – were presented along with a very important pancreatic cancer study, RASolute 302.
Together Separately livestream
Watch the recording of our June Together Separately livestream, which covered lung cancer news from the 2026 ASCO meeting.
Why it’s important LIBRETTO-432 is a study that evaluated selpercatinib in patients with early-stage RET fusion-positive (RET+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had already completed surgery or other local therapy, like radiation and in some instances chemotherapy. Selpercatinib is an oral RET inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced RET+ NSCLC. RETfusions occur in 1-2% of patients with lung cancer, usually adenocarcinoma, and is more common in younger individuals with little to no smoking history. The goal of this trial was to determine whether this targeted therapy, selpercatinib, given to patients with early stage (1B-3A) RET+ lung cancer in the adjuvant setting (or after surgery) could reduce the risk of the cancer returning. The study found that at 24 months, the Event-Free Survival (time from start of treatment until disease progression or death from any cause) was 91.5% with selpercatinib and 61.1% with placebo – a clinically meaningful difference.
What it means for patients Selpercatanib is already being used in advanced RET+ NSCLC. It now can be used in patients with earlier stage cancer after local treatment with surgery or radiotherapy to help control the cancer for a longer period of time. This represents another major advancement in the treatment of RET+ lung cancer, and selpercatinib joins other targeted therapies (specifically, osimertinib in EGFR-mutated lung cancer and alectinib in ALK-positive lung cancer) for the treatment of early-stage disease. Side effects of treatment were as expected with no new concerns. Overall survival results are awaited but it is likely that the survival advantage for selpercatinib treatment will be maintained.
What to look for The LIBRETTO-432 trial will change clinical practice in the treatment of early-stage RET+ lung cancer. Questions still remain when using targeted therapy as adjuvant treatment after surgery or radiation. For example: What is the role of chemotherapy? How long should a patient be treated? Hopefully, future trials will give us answers to these questions.
HARMONi-6
Why it’s important Ivonescimab is a bispecific antibody (a type of treatment designed to attach to two different targets at the same time) that blocks both PD-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Blocking PD-1 reverses the suppression of the immune system, and blocking VEGF disrupts the formation of the blood supply to the cancer. In the HARMONi-6 trial, over 500 patients with advanced squamous cell cancer received either ivonescimab and chemotherapy, or tislelizumab (immunotherapy) plus chemotherapy. After nearly 2 years of follow-up, patients who received ivonescimab and chemotherapy lived 4 months longer than those who were treated with immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
What it means for patients Ivonescimab is not yet approved for treatment in the US. The HARMONi-6 trial was performed entirely in China with a population of more male, younger patients. Thus, we await results from a large global study with a more diverse population. The side effects associated with immunotherapy and chemotherapy are well known, and no new problems were seen. Because it blocks VEGF, ivonescimab can cause additional side effects such as hypertension (high blood pressure), bleeding, and protein in the urine – however, all of these were low grade and easily manageable. This trial is of particular importance considering no prior significant advances have been made to treat patients with squamous cell lung cancer, and this remains an area of great need.
What to look for We await the results of additional trials with ivonescimab to see if it will continue to benefit and advance the treatment of patients with squamous cell lung cancer. Because ivonescimab is a bispecific antibody, meaning it works in two different ways to help stop cancer growth, it is also being studied in other types of lung cancer.
RASolute 302
Why it’s important Pancreatic cancer has been a very difficult disease to treat for many years. RAS is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer, found in 20% of all human cancers. RAS mutations drive over 90% of pancreatic ductal carcinomas. Daraxonrasib is an oral RAS(ON) inhibitor that blocks RAS, a protein that can drive cancer growth, when it is active. In the RASolute 302 trial, patients with advanced, previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma received either daraxonrasib or standard chemotherapy. The patients who received daraxonrasib had a 31% shrinkage of their cancer compared to 11% for those that received chemotherapy – and most importantly they lived twice as long (13.2 months versus 6.7 months).
What it means for patients The results of this trial are a major breakthrough for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The presentation received a standing ovation at the ASCO meeting. But what does this mean for patients with lung cancer? RAS mutations – particularly KRAS – are very common oncogenes in lung cancer and are considered one of the most difficult drivers to target. The hope is that agents like daraxonrasib will also be effective in treating RAS-mutated lung cancer as well.
What to look for Expect to see daraxonrasib being tested in other RAS-mutated cancers!
Although the results of these trials represent significant advancements, there is more work to be done. More research with new agents will be conducted to try and further improve outcomes for all these patients.
Sold-out event at Richland Country Club unites music community, patients, and researchers for lung cancer research
NASHVILLE, TN — June 11, 2026 — The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) hosted its inaugural ‘Here Comes Summer’ benefit in Nashville on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Richland Country Club, raising $185,000 to date in critical funds for lung cancer research while honoring the life and legacy of legendary entertainer Donna Summer, who passed away from lung cancer in 2012. Because Nashville was her home for many years, it is especially fitting to honor her in Music City. The sold-out evening brought together members of the Nashville music, healthcare, and business community, cancer researchers, clinicians, and patients for a night of purpose-driven celebration.
The program featured remarks from lung cancer experts and patient advocates, a Donna Summer tribute video, a live auction and paddle raise led by Matt Rogers, widely known as the Voice of the Tennessee Titans, and a presentation honoring the Sudano family for their dedication to advancing lung cancer research in Donna Summer’s memory.
Among the many distinguished guests, Debby Boone, a longtime client and friend of Susan Munao, and Hunter McVey, cast member of the hit television series Nashville 911, also joined the evening’s program.
Here Comes Summer was also featured on N Good Company by NFocus magazine.
An Evening of Purpose: Honoring Donna Summer’s Legacy
Event Chair Susan Munao, who was Donna Summer’s longtime manager, collaborator, and close friend, opened the evening with deeply personal remarks about the losses that led her to this mission: “This is more than fundraising. it’s about building a community of people who refuse to accept the status quo. A community that believes patients and families facing lung cancer deserve better, and we are committed to accelerating that progress.”
Ms. Munao spoke candidly about the disease’s reach into her own life: losing both her sister and her closest friend and client to lung cancer, and more recently learning of a former sister-in-law’s diagnosis. Her remarks brought a sharp personal urgency to the evening’s mission. “That call was a wake-up call for me. For the first time, I asked myself whether I should be screened. I learned that many people who may be at risk don’t qualify under current screening guidelines, me included. So I decided to pay for the CT scan myself. But it left me with a question: How many others are out there who don’t know they’re at risk? That’s why I’m on a mission. We need better ways to identify risk. We need early detection. We need more research.”
Honoring the Sudano Family
One of the evening’s more poignant moments came when Grammy-winning producer and arranger Michael Omartian and his wife Stormie Omartian, dear friends of Donna Summer and Susan Munao, presented a special recognition to the Sudano family for their dedication to advancing lung cancer research in Donna Summer’s name. Donna’s eldest daughter, Mimi Dohler, and her first granddaughter, Vienna, accepted the honor on behalf of the family.
Susan Munao, Stormie and Michael Omartian, Mimiand Vienna Dohler
Mimi Dohler, addressing the audience with a reflection on her mother’s diagnosis and the ripple effect of lung cancer on their family, said, “Lung cancer leaves a legacy too. It’s a ripple effect that extends far beyond the patient—whether it’s your mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, child, or friend. This disease changes lives forever… That’s why we can’t stop pushing for progress. Research gives us hope. Early detection saves lives. And every investment made in research today creates the possibility of a better outcome for someone tomorrow.”
Donna Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano, unable to attend from Italy, sent a personal message read by Mimi during the program: “It’s such a great thing that Susan Munao is creating here, sounding the alarm of early detection for lung cancer. God bless Donna Summer and God bless us all.”
A Moment on Progress in Lung Cancer Research
David Spigel, MD, President and Chief Medical Officer of Sarah Cannon Research Institute and a member of LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board, brought an on-the-ground perspective to the state of lung cancer research, drawing on patient stories from his own clinic as well as major findings presented the previous week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. He remarked, “When I started 23 years ago, there were really no treatments for lung cancer. My attending told me it didn’t matter which treatment we chose. That was in 2000. That kind of answer makes no sense anymore because there are so many ways to help people with lung cancer today.” Dr. Spigel went on to say, “Research is just integral to lung cancer care. The science is there. We can understand targets, we can design drugs, we can run trials. But all of this takes effort and investment. Your support of lung cancer research is an important piece in that fight, not just here in Nashville, but across the world.”
Patient Speaker: “Research Is Time”
Patient advocate and lung cancer survivor Stephen Huff delivered one of the evening’s most moving addresses. Diagnosed at age 29 with stage 4 lung cancer, despite being a non-smoker and former professional baseball player, Huff shared how targeted research changed the course of his life. “When I was diagnosed in 2017, the future felt very uncertain. My doctors tested my tumor and discovered that I have a specific genetic alteration called ALK-positive. Because researchers had spent years studying that mutation, there was actually a targetable treatment. This treatment has given me time—time to celebrate anniversaries, to continue building my career, to become a father. Today, Emily and I have two beautiful young children.”
Stephen Huff
Huff spoke with conviction about the direct relationship between donor investment and patient outcomes. “The reason I’m standing here tonight is because years before I was diagnosed, someone invested in research. Someone donated. Someone funded a grant. Someone believed in an idea before they even knew whether it would work. And because they did, a scientist had the opportunity to ask a question that ultimately discovered what is changing my life,” he said. “Research isn’t abstract. Research is bedtime stories to my daughter. It’s getting to watch my son play baseball. Research is time. Your generosity has a face, it has a family, it has a story. I’m one of them.”
The event was made possible through the generosity of sponsors including Ascension Saint Thomas, AstraZeneca, Creative Audio, Hearn Charitable Foundation, Outback Presents, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Rubicon Founders, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Soundcheck Nashville, Stephen Brush, The Sudano Family, Tennessee Oncology, Universal Music Enterprises, and many additional individual and organizational supporters.
Reflecting on what the evening represented, LCRF Executive Director Aubrey Rhodes said, “The Nashville community continues to show what is possible when people come together around a shared purpose. Every dollar raised and every person involved in this event helps move us closer to a future where more lives are saved from lung cancer. We are deeply grateful to the volunteers, sponsors, donors, and advocates who make this progress possible.”
Click a photo to enlarge. (More photos to come!)
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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 450 research grants, totaling nearly $53 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 Donna Summer Donna Summer was one of the most influential and groundbreaking artists of the modern music era, with a career that transcended genre and helped shape the sound of popular music for generations. A five-time Grammy Award winner, six-time American Music Award winner, Academy Award honoree for “Last Dance,” Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, and 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Summer achieved more than 130 million albums sold worldwide and remains an enduring cultural icon.
Her historic achievements include becoming the only solo artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts, the first female artist to have four No. 1 singles in a 12-month period on the Billboard Hot 100, the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, and the first-ever recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Her timeless catalog includes “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Last Dance,” “MacArthur Park,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio,” and “She Works Hard for the Money.”
Her Tony-nominated Broadway musical, ‘SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical,’ continues to celebrate her life and music, and the documentary ‘Love to Love You, Donna Summer’ premiered in 2023.
Contacts: For the LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (LCRF) Aubrey Kuhn, BRG Communications | (734) 548-5575 | akuhn@brgcommunications.com Event Contact: Jeremy Westby, 2911 Media | (833) 537-2911 | jpw@2911.us
Our experts for LCRF’s June livestream joined moderator Isabel Preeshagul, DO, MBS, to talk about the lung cancer news coming out of this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.
Logan Roof, MD, MS, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
LCRF publishes a quarterly e-newsletter highlighting the latest developments in the lung cancer space and announcing upcoming events. The e-news also features stories from patients and supporters.
In September 2022, Rosee woke in the middle of the night with severe and frightening symptoms: dizziness, a loss of balance, and a sense that everything was spinning around her. What followed was a two-year search for answers. Specialists attributed her symptoms to Ménière’s disease, a condition affecting balance and hearing, and she was told she would need to learn to live with it.
As the months passed, her symptoms worsened. She experienced hearing loss, persistent vertigo, debilitating migraines, and eventually numbness in her hand. In May 2024, after a fall and worsening neurological symptoms, an MRI revealed the true cause: multiple brain metastases. Additional scans identified the primary source of the cancer—lung cancer. Rosee was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The diagnosis was shocking. Rosee had never smoked and had no family history of cancer. Yet she suddenly found herself facing advanced lung cancer and an uncertain future.
During an 18-day hospital stay, Rosee immersed herself in learning about lung cancer and the importance of biomarker testing. After seeking a second opinion, comprehensive genomic testing revealed an EGFR mutation, opening the door to targeted therapy. She began treatment with osimertinib (Tagrisso®), and within weeks experienced a dramatic response. Her tumors shrank significantly, her migraines and vertigo disappeared, and she began to regain her hearing.
Throughout her treatment, Rosee remains determined to fight—not only for herself, but for her family. She credits her husband, children, medical team, and fellow patient advocates with helping her find hope during the most difficult moments of her journey. She has also found strength in becoming an advocate herself, educating others, supporting fellow patients, and staying engaged with advances in lung cancer research.
Rosee arrives for a scan – and compares headgear with Darth Vader.
In an unexpected turn, lung cancer recently touched her family again. In 2026, Rosee’s husband was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer. While undergoing testing related to life insurance, they discovered he had elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels which led to the discovery of his lung cancer before symptoms ever appeared. His cancer was found at an early stage, allowing for prompt treatment.
Experiences like these have strengthened Rosee’s belief that more research is urgently needed to improve how lung cancer is detected. Rosee has been reaching out to talk with researchers across the country and has been advocating through a change.org petition for early detection methods. Current screening guidelines primarily focus on individuals with a significant smoking history, leaving many people at risk without established pathways for early detection.
Rosee hopes that continued investment in research will lead to new tools and strategies that help identify lung cancer earlier, when treatment options are often more effective.
Today, Rosee remains committed to raising awareness for early detection methods, supporting research, and advocating for everyone affected by lung cancer. Through fundraising, patient advocacy, and sharing her story, she hopes to help create a future where more people receive an earlier diagnosis and have access to the treatments that can change—and save—lives.
“We need better ways to find this disease earlier and better treatments for those living with it,” Rosee said. “Research is how we get there.”
Research award focused on accelerating treatment options for people with ALK-positive lung cancer
NEW YORK, NY (June 9, 2026) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation announced today that a new research award focused on accelerating treatment options for people with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now open for investigator submission.
In 2007, scientists discovered that a genetic abnormality, or fusion, called EML4-ALK plays a key role in driving a subset of NSCLC. This led to the development of targeted drugs called ALK inhibitors, the first of which was FDA-approved in 2011. The latest of these, lorlatinib, is a third-generation inhibitor designed to overcome resistance to earlier drugs. In a major clinical trial (CROWN), lorlatinib outperformed an older drug, crizotinib, showing longer progression-free survival and better control of brain metastases. At the most recent ASCO conference, results of seven years of follow-up showed that more than half of the patients enrolled in the trial have stable disease, the best result ever reported for a single targeted therapy in advanced NSCLC.
While this is great news, resistance eventually develops in all patients, leaving chemotherapy and clinical trials as the only remaining options, as immunotherapy has largely been ineffective in ALK-positive NSCLC. That is why LCRF is committed to funding research that will combat resistance when it does eventually occur. There is a critical need to better understand why these tumors grow, how they respond to treatment, and why resistance develops.
The 2026 LCRF Award on Advancing Breakthroughs in ALK-Positive Lung Cancer grant mechanism will focus on the science behind ALK rearrangements as oncogenic drivers of malignancy and/or the development of novel therapeutic approaches for patients with ALK positive lung cancer that have the potential to increase survivorship. Given the specific interest in the development of novel therapies that could benefit this group of patients in the near term, a resulting clinical trial from this research would be ideal. Proposals for this grant should include a program of correlative, translational research that will enhance the understanding of ALK-driven lung cancers.
Bruce Dunbar, a member of LCRF’s Board of Directors and ALK-positive lung cancer survivor, said, “Grants like this are critical to ensuring there are more options and new approaches to treating ALK-positive NSCLC that has stopped responding to existing therapies. More investment in research means more ALK patients will live longer and better lives and the closer we’ll get to a cure.”
“Science has already given many people with ALK-positive lung cancer years they wouldn’t otherwise have had. But we cannot stop there,” remarked Kathryn A. O’Donnell, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Co-leader, Development and Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chair of the LCRF Scientific Advisory Board. “Resistance will eventually develop, and we have an obligation to be ready. Funding this research now is how we make sure the next breakthrough will happen.”
The 2026 LCRF Award on Advancing Breakthroughs in ALK-Positive Lung Cancer grant was made possible by members of the lung cancer community, led by Colleen Conner Ziegler, chair of LCRF’s board of directors and ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; the Murgatroyd family, who lost their daughter at the age of 24 to ALK-positive lung cancer; Mary Ann Tighe and Dr. David Hidalgo, in honor of Dr. Randi Warren, an ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; David Cornbrooks, co-founder of the Sweat for Breath Foundation and an ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; Pfizer; and many other generous donors.
Submissions for this mechanism will be reviewed through a two-step process: Letters of Intent will be accepted until midnight on July 15, 2026; if selected, investigators will then be chosen to submit full proposals, subject to rigorous review by LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board.
More details about the Request for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found 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 450 research grants, totaling nearly $53 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.
Two lung cancer research grants aim to accelerate discoveries and enhance outcomes in small cell lung cancer treatment
NEW YORK, NY (June 9, 2026) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF), in collaboration with AstraZeneca, today announced that two research awards focused on improving outcomes for people with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are now open for investigator submissions.
Progress in the treatment of SCLC has lagged considerably behind that of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), reflecting both a limited understanding of SCLC biology and a relative scarcity of effective therapeutic options. Recent efforts have begun to define distinct molecular subtypes of SCLC, each potentially harboring unique therapeutic vulnerabilities. In its untreated state, SCLC typically responds robustly to DNA-damaging chemotherapy; however, resistance invariably develops, and second-line therapies offer only modest benefit. The incorporation of immunotherapy into first-line regimens has yielded incremental gains in extensive-stage disease and a more meaningful improvement in overall survival for patients with limited-stage disease.[1],[2],[3]
Given how early we remain in unraveling the biology of SCLC, and that existing treatments are rarely curative, there is a pressing need for innovative therapeutic strategies aimed not merely at prolonging survival, but at achieving cure.
Advances in disease understanding and treatment are frequently shaped and accelerated by patient advocacy. Sustained advocacy efforts have driven meaningful progress across a range of conditions, including HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Yet despite lung cancer’s status as the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, it carries the lowest advocacy score among major diseases.[4] A primary obstacle has been the persistent stigma surrounding lung cancer, which has historically impeded the mobilization of patients, caregivers, and the broader public. Against this backdrop, given the slow pace of research and clinical development in SCLC specifically, building a robust advocacy infrastructure for this patient population is not merely desirable, but critically overdue.
The 2026 LCRF | AstraZeneca Research Award on Strategies Towards Improving the Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer is a $500,000, three-year award that will focus on furthering the development of novel strategies towards improving the treatment of SCLC. Work supported through this mechanism will address important areas of need across the entire care continuum and have the immediate potential to increase survivorship. It is expected that correlative translational research will be proposed that will enhance the understanding of SCLC.
The 2026 LCRF | AstraZeneca Research Award on Strategies Using Patient Advocacy to Improve Outcomes in Small Cell Lung Cancer is a $250,000, two-year award that will focus on furthering the development of strategies towards improving the outcomes of SCLC patients through patient advocacy. Work supported through this mechanism will address important areas of need across the entire care continuum and have the immediate potential to increase research efforts, quality of life and survivorship.
Submissions for both mechanisms will be reviewed through a two-step process: Letters of Intent will be accepted until midnight on July 15, 2026; if selected, investigators will then be chosen to submit full proposals, subject to rigorous review by LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board.
“A deeper understanding of small cell lung cancer biology is essential to advancing more precise and effective therapies—and ultimately improving care and outcomes for people living with this challenging disease,” explains Nabil Chehab, US Medical Head, Lung Cancer, AstraZeneca. “We are thrilled to open these awards to the scientific community and look forward to the innovative research proposals investigators will bring forward. Together with the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, we are eager to accelerate the next wave of discoveries that will move small cell lung cancer science forward for patients.”
“LCRF’s research program is centered on delivering solutions for patients with lung cancer, and we couldn’t be more excited to invite investigators to submit their most ambitious ideas,” says Dr. Antoinette Wozniak, Chief Scientific Officer for LCRF. “SCLC has long been one of the most urgent and underserved challenges in oncology, patients still face inevitable treatment resistance and very limited options, yet emerging insights into SCLC subtypes and targets are opening doors that were closed just a few years ago. Patients are our partners in discovery, and with AstraZeneca’s support, we are ready to champion both the novel therapeutic research and the patient advocacy strategies that will make a real and lasting difference for this community.”
“SCLC remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Patients respond well initially, but resistance is nearly universal and our options at that point are still far too limited,” remarks Misty Dawn Sheilds, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Indiana School of Medicine and Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Investments like the 2026 LCRF | AstraZeneca Research Awards are exactly what this field needs right now, when emerging science around SCLC subtypes and novel targets is finally giving us new directions to pursue. This kind of research can be the difference between a promising idea sitting on the shelf and a discovery that actually reaches patients.”
More details about each of the Requests for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found 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 450 research grants, totaling nearly $53 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.
Contact: LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (LCRF) Sheila Sullivan Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications ssullivan@lcrf.org
[1] Horn L, Mansfield AS, Szczęsna A, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018; 379(23): 2220-2229. [2]Paz-Ares L, Dvorkin M, Chen Y, et al. Lancet. 2019; 394(10212): 1929-1939. [3] Cheng Y, Spigel D, Cho BC, et al. N Engl J Med. 2024; 391(14): 1313-1324. [4] Best RK. Oxford University Press. 2019; 10.1093/oso/9780190918408.001.0001.
Jalal Ahmed MD, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the Precision Immunology Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai in New York City, has published an important paper entitled “Targeting the tumor microenvironment to advance CAR-T cell therapy for lung cancer” in the journal, Nature Cancer. Dr. Ahmed’s work was supported by a grant from the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) that he received in 2018.
Why it’s important
CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy. T cells are white blood cells in the immune system that have receptors on their surface that can recognize cells that contain abnormalities called antigens, i.e. cancer cells. The T cells become activated and proceed to kill the abnormal cells. CAR T-cells are the patient’s own immune cells, reprogrammed in a lab to act like guided missiles that are trained to seek out and attack cancer cells specifically. These T cells are returned to the patient, and they detect and kill the cancer cells. CAR T-cells can also continue to multiply in the bloodstream so that they act like a “living drug.”
CAR T-cell therapy is currently approved for the treatment of several blood cancers. This type of immunotherapy has been attempted in many other cancers but unfortunately has not been successful. There are many explanations as to why this therapy has not been as effective in the treatment of other malignancies such as lung cancer. The issues are very complicated, and scientists have gone back to the laboratory to get a better understanding of the biology involved in the use of T-cell therapy.
From May 2020: Dr. Ahmed talks about his work
In one of our first Together Separately livestreams, Dr. Ahmed spoke with us about his research. He was in the 2nd year of his grant from LCRF.
Dr. Ahmed focused his research on the tumor microenvironment where certain components can suppress the immune response. By using a novel mouse model, he was able to demonstrate that incorporation of radiation dramatically increased the activity and persistence of the CAR T-cells. Sustaining CAR T-cell activity has been a major challenge. Dr. Ahmed found that the persistence of the CAR T-cells depended on dendritic cells which are immune cells that present the antigens to the T cells thus initiating the immune response. These findings establish a critical mechanism through which dendritic cells maintain the CAR T-cell pool in irradiated tumors, thus supporting translation of this approach to advance CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumors.
What it means for patients
This research is important for patients because by understanding the interactions of the immune system, scientists and physicians can use this information to design more effective therapy in the CAR T-cell space. It is difficult to tell how soon the results of Dr. Ahmed’s research will be used in a clinical trial but clearly this represents progress. It is hoped that CAR T-cell therapy will be as effective in the treatment of lung cancer as it is in blood cancers. It is important to note that any progress in lung cancer may be applied to the treatment of other malignancies.
What to look for
There is a great deal of research going on in the use of CAR T-cell therapy. The efforts in basic science help to improve our understanding of the immune system and subsequently these scientific breakthroughs are translated into clinical trials for patients. This is a very exciting field of research, and many advances are anticipated in the future. LCRF is thrilled that this research was made possible because of an LCRF grant. Our scientific review process ensures that we support the best innovative research. LCRF will continue to make it our mission to fund research that will ultimately lead to a cure for lung cancer.
A lively group of patients, caregivers, family members, and medical experts connected at LCRF Together New York for dinner and discussion on May 7.
Our expert panelists included Dr. Balazs Halmos and Dr. Brendon Stiles from Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. Isabel Preeshagul of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Peggy Collins, an oncology nurse navigator at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Stiles, Dr. Preeshagul, Ms. Collins, and Dr. Halmos
Among the topics of conversation was early detection and the benefit of screening. More people are being diagnosed at earlier stages, when the disease is easier to treat.
The increase in survivorship means that the role of the nurse navigator is more important than ever, as they provide logistical and emotional support for those living with lung cancer. These resources are also important for caregivers.
Other discussion took place around small cell lung cancer, stigma, first line therapies, and how family history affects diagnosis.
Several LCRF grantees and other scientists attended the event, which was an opportunity to meet those whose lives are impacted by their research. Dr. Stiles noted that “the best way to keep young researchers involved with lung cancer research is to connect them with patients and get patients in the lab.”
The evening led to conversation and connection beyond the event. “Everyone was so kind and welcoming, and I had no idea how close knit this community is,” said one attendee. “We are looking forward to attending future events and involving other family members.”
