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When Erin Schenk, MD, PhD, began her journey as a junior faculty member at the University of Colorado, she treated patients with various types of lung cancer, including those whose cancer tested positive for known oncogenes (genetic changes that drive the development of cancer). She saw firsthand that, although targeted therapies can effectively treat some oncogene-driven lung cancers such as ALK-positive lung cancer, a small number of tumor cells evade treatment and eventually begin to grow again.
She began looking for other treatments, such as immunotherapy, that could benefit her patients.
“While some patients respond really well to immunotherapy, the research shows that patients with ALK-positive lung cancer don’t benefit from the immunotherapies we currently have,” explains Dr. Schenk. “This means I have to think about new ways to leverage the immune system for these patients.”
Balancing her roles as a physician and a scientist, Dr. Schenk embraced the daily challenge of caring for her patients while conducting lifesaving research on their behalf. Using special mouse models designed to mimic ALK-positive lung cancer, she wanted to study the immune system and find a way to cure patients with ALK-positive lung cancer.
"If we can optimize conditions around the tumor so the immune system effectively fights the cancer, it can be like a personal army—ready to stop any lingering cancer cells before they can do harm," said Dr. Schenk.
However, she needed someone to understand her scientific rationale and believe in her research capabilities. Members of LUNGevity’s Scientific Advisory Board, a team of world-class lung cancer experts, carefully reviewed her proposal and agreed that LUNGevity should fund her work.
Research grants are based on hope and trust. The donors are hoping and trusting that the researcher has the motivation, the ideas, the resources, the mentorship, and the support to catalyze their ideas into something powerful and impactful. LUNGevity uses a gold-standard approach to thoroughly vet applicants; this ensures only the most promising researchers and projects are funded.
-Dr. Erin Schenk, University of Colorado
In 2021, Dr. Schenk received LUNGevity’s coveted Career Development Award. This included a $300,000 research grant distributed over three years to study the roles of different types of immune cells with the goal of developing an effective immune-based strategy for curing patients with oncogene-driven lung cancers. When Stephen Huff from The Huff Project learned about this project, he and his wife Emily, who runs the organization, decided to support this important work too.
Dr. Schenk's expertise in designing and executing experiments quickly became evident. Along with her collaborators, she published several research papers with impressive findings in top-tier peer-reviewed journals such as Cell and Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
"My research showed that there are different types of immune cells with varying levels of activity in the tumor microenvironment. We identified the types of immune cells that can enhance the effectiveness of targeted therapy for oncogene-driven lung cancer, and those that hinder it," explained Dr. Schenk. “Now we’re working on several approaches to leverage this knowledge and improve outcomes for patients.”
Her work garnered attention from researchers nationwide and enabled her to secure additional funding, including an invitation to participate in a major research collaboration with Break Through Cancer, ALK Positive, and several top research institutions.
Just four years after receiving her research grant from LUNGevity, Dr. Schenk expanded her scientific impact by adding team members to her laboratory—a bright graduate student and two skilled laboratory technicians—who work closely with her to continue advancing science and bring us closer to a cure for oncogene-driven lung cancer.
"It's true that I don't get to work in the lab as much as I used to. Now I'm on the international stage, advising industry partners about clinical trial development, building key collaborations, leading clinical trials, and guiding a bustling laboratory — all while still caring for patients," said Dr. Schenk. "My patients are interested in my research. They are excited to hear about the new lab findings. Their hope in me and for the future propels me. I'm living the physician-scientist's dream. And it all started with a grant from LUNGevity."