News

The news: Dr. Brendon Stiles and his colleagues may have identified a new mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy in NSCLC, called ART1.
Why it’s important: ART1 may play a large role in contributing to resistance to immunotherapy.

A study co-authored by Dr. Brendon Stiles, Vice Chair of the LCRF Board and its Scientific Advisory Board, with work funded by LCRF through one of its legacy organizations, was recently published in Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Stiles and his colleagues uncovered a possible reason why some lung cancer tumors become resistant to immune check point inhibitors and designed a solution that bolsters the body’s immune response in the lab.

Unfortunately, the tumors of many people with lung cancer who are being treated with immunotherapy either don’t respond or stop responding and start to grow, becoming “resistant” to immunotherapy. Dr. Stiles’ work in mice suggests that a molecule called ART1 may play a large role in contributing to this resistance. His lab also developed an antibody specific to ART, similar to the way specific antibodies target PDL1 made by tumor cells – which is how immunotherapy works.

Dr. Stiles and his colleagues concluded their findings by saying their data “provides preclinical evidence that antibody-mediated targeting of ART1 can improve tumor control, supporting pursuit of this approach in clinical studies.”

Lung cancer research grant mechanisms open for submission, with three new tracks

NEW YORK, NY (March 14, 2022) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) announced today that its 2022 funding mechanisms are now open for submission.

In addition to its long-standing request for Pilot Grant proposals, LCRF has added three new grant tracks in 2022 aimed at furthering its commitment to funding investigators who are dedicated to finding solutions to the most pressing issues in lung cancer, including: early detection, gaining an understanding of and finding new approaches to treat specific molecular subsets of lung cancer and addressing inequities in the careers of investigators from underrepresented groups in cancer research.

“We are pleased to be announcing this year’s Requests for Proposals,” said Katerina Politi, PhD, Chair of LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board, Cancer Biologist and Associate Professor at Yale’s School of Medicine. “LCRF’s unwavering commitment to funding projects that explore novel approaches to treatment, tackle disparities, increase the diversity of the lung cancer research workforce and support science that seeks solutions to lung cancer’s most vexing questions is reflected in the grant mechanisms this year. I look forward to the innovative proposals that will come to LCRF for review.”

The 2022 LCRF Research Grants on Oncogenic Drivers in Lung Cancer is a new funding mechanism to support projects that focus on characterizing, identifying, treating, overcoming, or preventing resistance to therapies in tumors harboring alterations in oncogenic drivers in non-small cell lung cancer cells, tissues, mouse models or patient tumors. These projects are led and funded in partnership with the patient advocacy groups EGFR Resisters, KRAS Kickers and MET Crusaders. This mechanism will address important issues faced by patients whose tumors have these specific oncogenic driver mutations, with the aim to increase survivorship.

LCRF’s Research Grant on Early Detection and Pre-Neoplasia in Lung Cancer is focused on identifying, characterizing, and developing approaches that will detect lung cancer at the earliest stages. Given the significance and need for early detection of lung cancer and advancements in screening, LCRF has launched this funding mechanism to support research projects that facilitate or advance the understanding and characterization of pre-neoplasia or approaches for early detection, in non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.

The newly launched LCRF Minority Career Development Award (CDA) for Lung Cancer is a two-year career development award intended to support early-stage scientists from underrepresented groups working in lung cancer and working in diverse areas of research including basic, clinical, translational, disparities, and social determinants of health research. The objective of this award is to increase the number of highly skilled and trained researchers from groups that are historically underrepresented in academia, medicine, and leadership in lung cancer research. This program aims to increase representation of investigators from underrepresented groups in lung cancer research.

Each of these funding mechanisms will award $150,000 over two years for selected projects, and all mechanisms except the LCRF Minority Career Development Award will be reviewed through a two-step process: Letters of Intent will be accepted until midnight on April 30, 2022; if selected, investigators will then be chosen to submit full proposals following a rigorous review. The LCRF Minority Career Development Award will require full proposal submission and that deadline is midnight, May 27, 2022. More details about each of the Requests for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found at LCRF.org/funding.

###

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 394 research grants, totaling nearly $39 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
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@lcrf.org

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo^®) in combination with chemotherapy for adult patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the neoadjuvant setting.

This approval marks the first and only immunotherapy-based treatment for use before surgery for NSCLC.

In second year of partnership, groups introduce 2022 grant mechanism for EGFR positive lung cancer

NEW YORK, NY (March 10, 2022) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) and the EGFR Resisters, in their second year of a research award partnership, announce their intent to fund at least two new grants specific to EGFR positive lung cancer in 2022.

In 2021, the EGFR Resisters funded one of LCRF’s Pilot Grants awarded to Yang Tian, PhD, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose research project is titled “Targeting lung lineage plasticity to suppress Osimertinib-induced drug-tolerant persisters.” Although there has been an increase in progression-free survival in patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer due to targeted therapy with EGFR TKIs (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, commonly known as TKIs), the cancer eventually develops acquired resistance.

The EGFR Resisters and its members are responding to the urgent need for additional research to combat treatment resistance by partnering with LCRF on a new oncogenic-driver specific grant track in 2022.

“Patient led and funded research can uniquely address the specific unmet needs of patients,” says Jill Feldman, co-founder of the EGFR Resisters. “When patients are true partners in research, we can provide input that will drive research that is important and meaningful to our community.”

“Research has come so far since I was diagnosed in 2013, but we still need more options,” added Ivy Elkins, also a co-founder of the EGFR Resisters. “Through the strength of our motivated and active community of patients and caregivers, we have this opportunity to directly impact the research in EGFR positive lung cancer.”

For the new grants available, the members of the EGFR Resisters raised more than $200,000 for lung cancer research in 2021 and are targeting a total of $300,000 for 2022.

“The passion and commitment of patient groups to advance lung cancer research is unmatched,” remarked Dennis Chillemi, Executive Director of LCRF. “The EGFR Resisters are trailblazers in this respect and have led the way for other patient groups to speed the advancement of research that will directly impact the survival of patients with lung cancer. LCRF is honored to be a partner with the EGFR Resisters in achieving this goal.”

###

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 394 research grants, totaling nearly $39 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 the EGFR Resisters
Founded in 2017 by six patients and one caregiver, the EGFR Resisters is a grassroots, patient-driven community of patients and caregivers living with and/or personally affected by EGFR positive lung cancer. The group has a closed Facebook group for members to connect and share best practices, and it communicates with the broader EGFR community through a website, monthly newsletter, and social media. With close to 3,500 members in almost 90 countries, the EGFR Resisters aims to improve outcomes for all those with EGFR positive lung cancer by supporting patients and caregivers, increasing awareness and education for community members, improving access to effective diagnosis and treatment, and accelerating and funding research. The mission of the EGFR Resisters is to understand the unmet needs of the community and to use the strength of collaboration to drive important research questions and fund novel research and clinical trials. For more information about the EGFR Resisters, please visit egfrcancer.org.

Contact:

LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@LCRF.org

EGFR Resisters
Laura Book
Media Contact
egfrresisters@gmail.com

Dr. Hilary Robbins, who received a 2020 LCRF Research Grant on Disparities, recently published a viewpoint piece in JAMA Oncology on equity in lung cancer screening eligibility.

Dr. Robbins writes that while the United States Preventive Services Taskforce’s updated recommendations will increase the low-dose CT screening of black patients, the disparity in life-years potentially gainable compared with white patients is still at least 15%. She discussed three possible models that could be used to create equity in lung cancer screening, while pointing out flaws in each approach. She believes that the scientific community must develop or find new solutions to achieving equity, and that other marginalized and excluded groups should be included.

Read her article here.

Groups join forces to fund MET mutation cancer-specific research

NEW YORK, NY (February 28, 2022) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) and MET Crusaders are pleased to announce a partnership aimed at funding much needed MET cancer research. Together they pledge to fund two projects in 2022 that focus on this specific oncogene.

The MET gene is in chromosome 7 in the cells of the human body. Within the MET gene are the instructions to produce the MET protein, which is broken into segments called Exons. When all the Exons are properly executed in sequence, the normal MET protein is produced. In the case of cancer driven by MET, there is an alteration in the MET gene causing an error in the production of the MET protein. This production error prevents its degradation or causes excessive tyrosine kinase activity, resulting in cancer cells growing unchecked. There are four major categories of MET protein alterations: mutation, amplification, overexpression, and fusion. MET alterations tend to appear most in adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but they can also be seen in squamous NSCLC. About 5% of lung cancer patients have MET exon 14 skipping. A lower percentage of patients have MET amplification.

MET Crusaders are a community of lung cancer patients, care givers, advocates, researchers, and physicians dedicated to helping patients with the MET alteration live normal lives. “Furthering research to help patients with a MET alteration is a huge task and takes an army of like-minded individuals,” said John Hallick, president of the MET Crusaders. “Partnering with LCRF allows us to leverage their expertise in funding innovative research to fulfill the MET Crusader’s mission of helping people with MET mutations live longer and better lives.”

“We are delighted to partner with MET Crusaders,” said Dennis Chillemi, LCRF Executive Director. “This collaboration will give us a better understanding of this particular mutation, uncovering more treatment options for these patients by accelerating research discovery.”

# # #

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 394 research grants, totaling nearly $39 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.

About MET Crusaders
MET Crusaders is a patient advocacy group focused on MET driven cancer. The MET Crusaders mission is to help all MET patients, regardless of location, race, or socio-economic class, live a normal life. This mission is accomplished through community, education, research, and advocacy. MET Crusaders is a trade name of the MET Cancer Foundation, a 501c3 charitable foundation.

Contact:

Lung Cancer Research Foundation
Sheila Sullivan
Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@LCRF.org

MET Crusaders

John Hallick
President
john.hallick@metcrusaders.org

Isabel Preeshagul, DO, MBS, and Jia Luo, MD, joined us Feb. 16 for an important discussion about Covid-19 and lung cancer: how it affects people with lung cancer, how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, how to manage symptoms, and considerations for lung cancer treatment.

Both are thoracic oncologists, with Dr. Preeshagul serving at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dr. Luo at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Watch the recording below.

Learn more about #TogetherSeparately

LCRF applauds the commitment of the White House to making cancer a livable condition rather than a death sentence; reducing cancer death by 50% in the next 25 years, as President Biden announced yesterday with the reintroduction of the Cancer Moonshot.

“At LCRF, we’re committed to funding the research that will make this possible for the approximately 500,000 people living with lung cancer in the United States today,” said Dennis Chillemi, LCRF Executive Director. “It has been our mission since our inception and remains our true north to this day.”

Funding for research that leads to treatment breakthroughs is crucial to reaching the goal set by this initiative. Combined with improved detection, better access to affordable care, and community supports, we are encouraged by this renewed commitment to cancer patients, their caregivers, and the community that surrounds them.

Possible new immunotherapy resistance mechanism identified

Together Separately: 2022 IASLC targeted therapies recap

LCRF announces 2022 Request for Proposals

Lung cancer research grant mechanisms open for submission, with three new tracks

FDA approves nivolumab with chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for certain patients with resectable NSCLC

LCRF and EGFR Resisters announce request for abstracts

In second year of partnership, groups introduce 2022 grant mechanism for EGFR positive lung cancer

Contact:

LCRF grantee publishes piece on equity in lung cancer screening

LCRF and MET Crusaders Announce Partnership

Groups join forces to fund MET mutation cancer-specific research

Contact:

Together Separately: Covid-19 & Lung Cancer Update

LCRF applauds reintroduction of Cancer Moonshot

2014 LCRF grantee identifies potential therapeutic option for SCLC