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LUNGevity Foundation announced $1.2 million in research awards that are designed to strengthen the lung cancer workforce and accelerate progress across the lung cancer continuum—from early detection to treating advanced disease.
“Today’s research is tomorrow’s cure. If we want to see continued breakthroughs and advancements in lung cancer, we must secure a strong pipeline of researchers dedicated to improving outcomes for people with lung cancer,” said Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, Executive Director of Research at LUNGevity Foundation. “To continue the momentum in lung cancer progress, we must attract and support the next generation of bright, motivated researchers who will bring fresh ideas and transformative discoveries to patients.”
LUNGevity has invested more than $55 million in lung cancer research over the past two decades. With the 2025 awards, LUNGevity continues our annual commitment to cultivating scientific talent and advancing high-impact lung cancer research. As federal research funding faces uncertainties, LUNGevity’s consistent support has become increasingly vital to keeping the brightest minds focused on the biggest challenges in lung cancer.
The 2025 awardees represent early-career investigators working on projects that address some of the most pressing needs in lung cancer today. Through these awards, LUNGevity continues to drive innovation and hope—empowering scientists to make discoveries that will change what it means to be diagnosed with lung cancer.
Career Development Awards
“Local CAR T as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for CNS Progression in NSCLC”
Elliot Brea, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - in partnership with the EGFR Resisters
More than half of patients with EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will eventually develop central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Dr. Brea and his research team have already engineered a potent CAR-T cell therapy that targets TROP-2, a protein commonly found on EGFR-positive lung cancer cells and also on some healthy cells. To improve treatment specificity and avoid damage to healthy tissue, the researchers aim to improve this approach in two ways. First, they will introduce the CAR-T treatment directly into the CNS tumor site, to reduce contact with healthy tissue expressing TROP-2. The second method is to genetically modify the CAR-T cells to limit their ability to enter healthy epithelial tissue. If successful, this research will revolutionize the way we treat CNS metastasis in patients with EGFR-positive lung cancer.
“Identification of Epigenetic Drivers of Drug Tolerance in EGFR mutant LUAD”
Esther Redin, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
EGFR gene alterations are found in 15-30% of lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) and are most effectively treated with targeted therapies. These treatments are initially effective at killing most of the tumor cells, but drug tolerant persister cells remain alive, adapt to the presence of the drug, and begin to grow again, leading to tumor recurrence. Dr. Redin’s project aims to understand how these persister cells survive treatment and how to effectively eliminate them. By identifying resistance factors, developing eradication strategies, and providing the scientific foundation for clinical trials, this research project lays the groundwork to overcome drug resistance in patients with EGFR-positive lung cancer.
“Impact of STK11 Mutations on Immune Cell Infiltration in Lung Cancer”
Gavitt Woodard, MD
Yale University
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, and while immunotherapy has improved survival rates, many tumors don’t respond to treatment. Studies suggest mutations in certain genes, such as STK11, predict poor outcomes with immunotherapy treatment. This is likely due to the lack of immune cell activity within the tumor. In this project, Dr. Woodard will study how specific tumor mutations prevent T cells from entering tumors and she will explore ways to enhance T cell migration to improve immunotherapy response. Her work will focus on studying the role of PLA2G10, a protein known to block T cell entry into lung tumors, and its relationship with common lung cancer mutations. The goal of this work is to understand and improve T cell activity in lung tumors to make immunotherapy more effective.
Health Equity and Inclusiveness Research Fellow Award
“Targeting Overnutrition and Obesity-based Lung Cancer”
Joyce Ogidigo, PhD
Columbia University
Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of certain types of cancer, including lung cancer. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind this connection or the possible approaches to intervene. Dr. Ogidigo will investigate how obesity affects lung cancer development using a diet-induced obesity mouse model and studying many factors, including gene expression, metabolism, and epigenetic modifications. She will also study the use of metabolism-targeting drugs to slow tumor growth. By building our understanding of obesity-specific molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets, she aims to lay the groundwork for more effective, personalized treatments for patients with lung cancer who are obese or have metabolic dysfunction.
VA Research Scholar Awards
“Co-Design and Pilot Testing a LCS Awareness Toolkit for Black Veterans”
Lauren Kearney, MD
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Black veterans face disproportionately higher rates of lung cancer diagnosis with poorer outcomes compared to other veterans. Despite lung cancer screening (LCS) being a vetted, lifesaving tool, many Black veterans remain unscreened due to low awareness, distrust of healthcare systems, and negative beliefs about lung cancer outcomes. This research aims to address these barriers by partnering with the National Association of Black Veterans (NABVETS) to co-design and test a community-based LCS awareness toolkit that can be distributed through trusted community organizations. The work represents the first step toward a larger randomized trial testing a culturally relevant intervention developed with Black veterans to improve LCS awareness and uptake in this underserved population.
“Enhancing Antitumor Immune Responses with a Dendritic Cell Vaccine in NSCLC”
Michael Oh, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
While immunotherapy has significantly improved outcomes for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) many patients still don’t benefit from current immunotherapy treatments, often due to low immune cell activity in and around the tumor. Dr. Oh has developed a CCL21-DC vaccine that uses engineered dendritic cells to train the immune system to detect key protein mutations while also producing CCL21 protein to attract tumor-killing T cells to the tumor. He has already completed an early phase clinical trial that combines this vaccine with pembrolizumab to treat NSCLC. This allowed him to collect tumor biopsies and blood samples from patients before and after treatment. Using advanced sequencing techniques on these samples, Dr. Oh aims to understand how the vaccine affects tumor-targeting T cells and their interactions within tumors, which will help develop effective therapeutic vaccines and other immunotherapies for patients with lung cancer.
ASTRO-LUNGevity Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Seed Grant
“mRNA Vaccines and Therapeutic Radiation for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer”
Adam Grippin, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center - in partnership with the American Society for Radiation Oncology
Preliminary data shows that patients with NSCLC who receive mRNA vaccines with radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have better survival rates. Dr. Grippin’s research aims to optimize this combination approach to overcome drug resistance to ICIs through enhanced mRNA vaccine formulations. These findings are expected to be instrumental in laying the groundwork for clinical trials that integrate mRNA vaccines into standard lung cancer treatment plans.
These awards reflect LUNGevity's strategic investments in promising researchers as they are establishing their careers. The effects of these awards can be felt for decades, as LUNGevity-funded scientists go on to make major contributions to the field. For patients and families affected by lung cancer, each new researcher in the field represents renewed hope for improved early detection options and better treatments.
Learn more about LUNGevity’s commitment to transforming lung cancer research.