We fund translational research to move knowledge as quickly as possible from basic discovery to treatment of patients.

Since 2002, LUNGevity has invested in 183 research projects at 69 institutions in 24 states and the District of Columbia focusing on early detection as well as more effective treatments of lung cancer.

Therapeutics Award

Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and Joan's Legacy
John Heymach, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
EGFR/estrogen interactions: role in bronchioalveolar carcinoma and gender differences in the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy

The role of the hormone estrogen in the development of lung cancer has been established. Dr. Heymach is studying how estrogen affects signaling by the EGFR gene and secretion of proteins that fuel the development of new blood vessels necessary to sustain the growth of the cancer.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and Joan's Legacy
Carla Kim, PhD
Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
Isolation and characterization of bronchioalveolar carcinoma stem cells

Dr. Kim’s hypothesis is that bronchioloalveolar carcinomas, a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, are maintained by a small population of cells often referred to as cancer stem cells. Dr. Kim is identifying these stem cells and drugs that inhibit them.


2007 Melissa Lumberg Zagon Award
LOGIC (Lung Oncology Group in Chicago)
, Chicago, IL
Correlative study of the effects of agents used in conjunction with targeted therapies in the treatment of lung cancer

The landscape of lung cancer treatment has changed with the initial discovery of an EGFR mutation in 2004. Now, drugs that block specific driver mutations are being considered for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The LOGIC group (Lung Oncology Group in Chicago) is studying the correlative effects of agents used in conjunction with targeted therapies in the treatment of lung cancer.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and Joan's Legacy
Hayley McDaid, PhD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY
Mechanisms of RAS and RAF-mediated regulation of cap-dependent translation translation in NSCLC

Two commonly mutated genes in non-small cell lung cancer are KRAS and BRAF. Dr. McDaid is studying how these two genes control the synthesis of proteins in lung cancer cells. She is also testing how targeting the LKB1 mutation that often co-occurs with KRAS mutations can neutralize the effects of the KRAS mutation.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the American Lung Association
David J. Robbins, PhD
Dartmouth University Medical School, Hanover, NH
Uncovering Molecular Markers of Hedgehog Antagonist Sensitive Lung Cancer

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is active in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer and provides a “don’t stop growing” signal to cancer cells. Dr. Robbins is working to identify and validate a panel of biomarkers that can be used to determine whether the lung cancer is sensitive to drugs that stop Hh signaling.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the Illinois Chapter of the American Cancer Society
Dwight Seferos, PhD
Northwestern University Department of Chemistry, Chicago, IL
Photo-controllable Carriers for the Rapid Delivery of Anticancer Therapies

Dr. Seferos is developing new nanoparticle-based agents that are 13 nanometers in diameter to treat lung cancer. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, these particles can target the cancer cells directly and so reduce the side effects that are commonly associated with chemotherapy.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the Illinois Chapter of the American Cancer Society
Timothy K. Starr, PhD
University of Minnesota Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN
Transposon Mutagenesis for Lung Cancer Gene Discovery

In order to identify mutated genes that cause lung cancer, Dr. Starr has developed a system that is capable of randomly mutating genes within cells, resulting in tumor formation. The genes mutated by this method can easily be identified using standard molecular biology techniques. He can then test their role in lung cancer formation. 


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the Illinois Chapter of the American Cancer Society
Steven P. Zielske, PhD
University of Michigan Department of Radiation Oncology, Ann Arbor, MI
Enzyme-Prodrug Gene Therapy of Cancer using Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) selectively migrate to tumors of the brain or the lung. MSCs are specialized cells found in the bone marrow. They can form bone, cartilage, fat, and possibly other tissues. Dr. Zielske is researching how to make use of this property of MSCs. He is working on how to deliver locally high concentrations of chemotherapy drugs to the tumor microenvironment while avoiding the side effects associated with chemotherapy, which flows through the bloodstream to most parts of the body.


Therapeutics Award

Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the National Lung Cancer Partnership
Michele Cote, PhD
Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI
Horomonal factors and lung cancer: A Potential target for therapy

Dr. Cote is examining the role of estrogen-related tumor characteristics in predicting differences in survival between men and women after a lung cancer diagnosis. The identification of molecular and genetic profiles associated with survival will help target treatment advances and customize treatment for male and female lung cancer patients.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and American Lung Association National Office
Alan Patrick Fields, PhD
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
A Novel Small Molecule Inhibitor of Protein Kinase C iota for the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Dr. Fields is generating pre-clinical data to support a clinical trial of a novel compound, autothiomalate (ATM), for the treatment of lung cancer. ATM, which is FDA-approved for rheumatoid arthritis, exhibits anti-cancer activity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in preclinical studies.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and Joan's Legacy
Carolyn Klinge, PhD
University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY
Estrogen Receptor Beta Interacting Proteins in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Dr. Klinge is studying why there is a gender bias in lung adenocarcinoma that results in women being at higher risk for developing it. Her studies have revealed which proteins are expressed differently by gender in lung adenocarcinoma cells and how they could be targets of therapy in lung adenocarcinoma.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the American Thoracic Society
Kostyantyn Krysan, PhD
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Modulation of PGE2-Dependent EGFR Inhibitor Resistance in NCSLC by E-cadherin

EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the mainstay for treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients whose tumors have mutations in the EGFR gene. Unfortunately, cancer cells eventually become resistant to TKIs. Dr. Krysan's laboratory has discovered that NSCLC cells produce a chemical called PGE2 that helps lung cancer cells grow in the presence of EGFR TKIs. This suggests that PGE2 helps cancer cells develop acquired resistance to TKIs. Dr. Krysan’s current research is to determine how PGE2 works.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation and the American Lung Association National Office
Nouri Neamati, PhD
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Preclinical Development of SC21 in Lung Cancer

Dr. Neamati is carrying out in-depth preclinical studies on a prototype compound, SC21. He is studying where the SC21 compound travels in the body, its safety, and its effectiveness in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the ultimate goal of bringing SC21 to the clinic.


Funded equally by LUNGevity Foundation, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, American Lung Association National Office, and the family of Harriet Meyers
Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Studies and Therapeutic Targeting of Heat Shock Proteins in Lung Cancer

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a class of proteins that are central to the survival of cells, in particular those under stress. Inhibiting HSPs makes cells very sensitive to cell death under stressed conditions (e.g., during chemotherapy). Dr. Salgia is studying the role of HSP27 in lung cancer to develop targeted therapies that are effective against it.


Therapeutics Award

Funded by LUNGevity Foundation and The CHEST Foundation
Douglas Arenberg, MD
University of Michigan, Detroit, MI
Profiling the phenotype of tumor derived stromal fibroblasts

Fibroblasts are cells found in different tissues of the body, including lung tissue. Dr. Arenberg is studying differences in the types of proteins made by tumor-derived lung fibroblast cells and by normal lung fibroblast cells. With an understanding of which proteins make a tumor-derived fibroblast behave in such a way as to promote tumor growth and spread, there is potential to therapeutically target them.