Approximately 40-50% of patients with lung cancer are affected by oncogene-driven tumors. And, while oral medications can help manage the disease, they aren’t a cure-all solution, and many patients develop resistance to these drugs.
In 2023, the IASLC and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) launched the IASLC-LCRF Team Science Award on the Next Step in the Cure of Oncogene-Driven Lung Cancers award. This grant program aims to support collaborative research efforts to develop new treatments for oncogene-driven lung cancer.
“Preventing resistance before it begins would be practice-changing for oncologists and life-saving for patients,” said Antoinette Wozniak, MD, FACP, FASCO, Chief Scientific Officer for LCRF. “By working together—funders, patients, and research teams—we can help move science forward, faster.”
The first recipients of the 2024 IASLC-LCRF grant program were announced in November. This 4-year, $2.5 million grant will support the project titled “Immune Elimination of Drug-Tolerant Persister Cells in Oncogene-Driven Lung Cancer.”
The project is led by David A. Barbie, MD, Director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston.
“It is a very exciting time for lung cancer research, and we are confident that our team will uncover approaches that will make a difference for patients living with oncogenic-driven lung cancer,” Dr. Barbie said. “This award will allow us to make a significant impact that will hopefully result in a clinical trial.”
Dr. Barbie’s research team includes Eric Smith, MD, PhD, and Pasi Janne, MD, PhD, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Aaron Hata, MD, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; and Shunsuke Kitajima, PhD, from the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo.
The research is divided into two distinct projects that share a common goal: to target and eliminate drug-tolerant persister (DTP) cells by engaging the immune system.
The first project will look at using the immune system to identify and eliminate DTP cells. The team will analyze various molecules and pathways that can be manipulated to help the immune system target these cells.
During the second project, the team will concentrate on optimizing CAR T-cell therapy. This method involves altering a patient’s immune cells, specifically their T cells, to help them bind to and fight cancer cells.
The team’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy, particularly against DTP cells, by developing new CAR T-cells that can help immune cells attach to and destroy cancer cells.
“Partnerships are essential to advancing the pace of research,” said Jennifer C. King, PhD, Chief Science Officer of the IASLC. “We are excited that this project is collaborating with Japanese researchers to tackle this high-priority challenge and that we have an ideal partnership with the LCRF to co-sponsor this grant mechanism.”
