Research

There is good news in the advancement in lung cancer research. New treatments are being discovered that can be used alone, before, after, or in combination with traditional chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

We seek to help fund research
that focuses on

Early detection & diagnosis of lung cancer

Personalized & targeted treatment therapies

Increasing survival rates & eradicating cancer

To date we have given over $1 million dollars to targeted research projects at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. These dollars have allowed the Thoracic team at MD Anderson to generate over $10M in grant funds.

2017

Funded Research

Personalizing Immunotherapy
Early Stage Lung Cancer microbiome and blood-based markers

Benefit to Patients
Using biomarkers for personalizing immunotherapy in early stage lung cancer to determine which patients will likely benefit or experience toxicities from our new immunotherapy studies.

Boris Sepesi, M.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thank You Letter

Personalizing Immunotherapy
In metastatic lung cancer, including autantibodies & genomic markers

Benefit to Patients
Improving patient selection of who will likely benefit or experience toxicities from our new immunotherapy studies.

Mehmet Altan, M.D. &
Boris Sepesi, M.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thank You Letter

Targeted Treatment
To correlate the microorganisms in the gut with the risk of inflammation of the colon and response to immunotherapy.

Benefit to Patients
To better understand the impact of modifying the gut microbiome to impact response rates to immunotherapy and protect patients from colon inflammation.

Mehmet Altan, M.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thank You Letter

Targeted Treatment
To determine the biomarkers for selecting which patients benefit from aggressive local consolidative therapy.

Benefit to Patients
 Traditionally Oligometastic lung cancer has only spread to limited number of sites, and has been treated only with chemo. This study will seek to determine benefits from surgery and radiation in addition to systemic therapy.

Daniel Gomez, M.D. &
Jianjun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thank You Letter

Targeted Treatment
To understand how EGFR/HER2 exon 20 mutant non-small cell lung cancer develops resistance to poziotinib.

Benefit to Patients
To provide patients who have tumors that have become resistant to treatments, a new combination of drugs to overcome that resistance.

Jacqulyne Robichaux, Ph.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Thank You Letter

Making a difference

Through the years
Headshot of Don L. Gibbons, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Deputy Chair, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology <br />Samrat Kundu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology

2023

Funded by —
Lance Bertrand Grant

Understanding direct-KRAS inhibitor resistance pathways for therapeutic targeting in non-small cell lung cancer

Researchers:
Don L. Gibbons, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Deputy Chair, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology
Samrat Kundu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology

There is an urgent need to understand why certain patients benefit from KRAS inhibitors and others do not. These preclinical studies will be critical in advancing this exciting class of KRAS inhibitors to combination clinical trials, ultimately leading to potential approval as frontline cancer therapeutics. Family Funding: Lance Bertrand Research Grant
Headshot of Hai T. Tran, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology

2023

Funded by —
Pamela Henicke Grant

Understanding the dynamic biological changes and development of biomarkers associated with the transformation of small cell lung cancer from tumors with activating EGFR mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancers

Researchers:
Hai T. Tran, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology

This pilot project may lead to the development of blood-based biomarkers to help identify patient tumors at the early stages of undergoing the transition to SCLC, which leads to resistance of the current EGFR-TKI therapy. These biomarkers could provide clinicians and patients with an early window of opportunities to have more informed discussions about therapeutic options, allow time to potentially change to a more effective treatment and, ultimately, improve overall survival.
Headshot of Jianjun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., AssociateProfessor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology <br />Jia Wu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Imaging Physics

2023

Funded by —
Tamra Hissom Budd Grant

Biomarker Identification for Lung Cancer Immunoprevention

Researchers:
Jianjun Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., AssociateProfessor, Thoracic-Head and Neck Medical Oncology
Jia Wu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Imaging Physics

These two unique trials have the potential to change the paradigm of lung cancer prevention and interception. Many patients enrolled in these trials have achieved clinical benefits. The proposed study will advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the response/resistance to these agents and establish biomarkers to stratify patients to appropriate trials in future studies.

2020

  • Support for developing new strategies for enhancing anti-tumor immunity in EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer  |  Dr. Nilsson, Dr. Le, & Dr. Heymach
  • Support for research on KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer  |  Dr. Skoulidis & Dr. Heymach
  • Support for Small Cell Lung Cancer  |  Dr. Gay & Dr. Byers
  • Support for research addressing the recurrence of cancer after surgery alone  |  Dr. Cascone

2019

  • Research into Novel T cell therapies for lung cancer  |  Dr. Reuben

2018

  • Byers Lab research focused on Small Cell Lung Cancer
  • Research project STK11/LKB1 Mutations and PD-1 Inhibitor Resistance in KRAS-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Skoulidis
  • Focused research on reoccurrence of cancer cells that have developed resistance. A second project we funded focused on the Immunotherapy combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy   |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Sepesi
  • Research into resistances to therapy  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Chen

2017

  • Support for personalizing immunotherapy in metastatic lung cancer  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Altan & Dr. Sepesi
  • Support for personalizing immunotherapy in early stage lung cancers with microbiome and blood-based markers  |  UT MD Anderson  |   Dr. Sepesi
  • Support for the study of microorganisms in the gut with relation to immunotherapy side effects  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Altan
  • Support for targeted treatments for Oligometastic lung cancer outside of chemo  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Gomez & Dr. Zhang
  • Support for the study of EGFR/HER2 exon 20 mutant non-small cell lung cancer's developing resistance to poziotinib  |  UT MD Anderson  |  Dr. Robichaux

2016

  • Support for Novel Molecular Targets in Small Cell Lung Cancer  |  GEMINI  |  Dr. Byers
  • Support for Biomarkers for predictive response in immunotherapy  |  GEMINI

2015

  • Support for Novel Molecular Targets in Small Cell Lung Cancer  |  GEMINI  |  Dr. Byers

2014

  • Support for Lung Cancer Shot Program & GEMINI
  • Patient Education Materials - Support for the Living with Lung Cancer Health Fair and for the Thoracic Patient Teaching Initiative - ongoing project to create instructional videos for Thoracic Patients

2013

  • Support for Micro RNAs as Novel Tumor Biomarkers to Guide Personalized Treatment  | BATTLE
  • Support for Micro RNAs as Novel Serum Biomarkers to Guide Personalized Treatment  |  BATTLE
  • Support for the Lung Cancer Moon Shot Program and GEMINI
  • Patient Education Materials - Expansion of the Living with Lung Cancer Health Fair

2012

  • Support for the Lung Cancer Research  |  BATTLE 2
  • Personalized Cancer Therapies  |  BATLLE Trials
  • Patient Education Materials - Living Your Life with Lung Cancer printed materials and Health Fair
  • Public Education Materials - Lung Cancer Educational Fund

2011

  • The Gibbons Lab - Focuses on understanding the regulation of cancer cell invasion and metastasis by studying the genetic information of production of proteins in cell and the role of the immune cells in those processes

2010

  • Support for the Lung Cancer Research Priority Program including BATTLE
  • Personalized Cancer Therapies  |  BATTLE
  • Patient Education Materials - Living Your Life with Lung Cancer printed materials & Health Fair
  • Public Education Materials - Lung Cancer Educational Fund printed materials

2009

  • Support for Dr. Daniel Karp's research efforts
  • Support for MD Anderson's Lung Cancer Research Priority Program  |  Dr. Lippman
  • Lung Cancer Tissue Bank and Personalized Cancer Therapies
  • Support for Dr. Roy Herbst's research efforts including BATTLE trials
  • Patient Education Materials - Living Your Life with Lung Cancer printed materials
  • Public Education Materials - Lung Cancer Educational Materials

2008

  • Fellow support in Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology
  • Patient Education Materials - Living Your Life with Lung Cancer printed materials
  • Public Education Materials - Lung Cancer Educational Materials