Lung Cancer Research Foundation Announces 2016 Scientific Grant Program Awards

NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) announced the awardees of its 2016 Scientific Grant Program at the Eleventh Annual Lung Cancer Awareness Luncheon, held on Monday, October 17, at The Pierre in New York City. In another record-breaking year, LCRF awarded $2.2 million in research grants to 15 researchers as part of the LCRF Scientific Grant Program, an annual program that funds projects across the spectrum of basic, clinical and translational lung cancer research.

"We again received a record number of applications for this year's grant program and are extremely impressed by the work these researchers are doing in field of lung cancer research," said Nancy Sanford, Executive Director, LCRF. "Lung cancer is currently the number one cancer killer worldwide. We are hopeful this research will help lead to further advancements in the field." 

Additionally, LCRF awards one investigator with the Scientific Merit Award each year, for which the recipient is selected for outstanding overall merit by LCRF's Scientific Advisory Board. The 2016 Scientific Merit Award recipient is Nadya Dimitrova, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Dr. Dimitrova's research project is titled "Making first strides towards elucidating the importance of long noncoding RNAs in lung cancer."

"I am deeply grateful for the generous support from LCRF, which allows us to focus on new and previously unappreciated facets of lung cancer biology," said Dr. Dimitrova. "I am hopeful that our innovative approaches will lay the foundation for the development of new and efficient strategies to control cancer."

Chad Pecot, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina received the William Rippe Award for Distinguished Research in Lung Cancer. His research project is titled "Targeting the immune system to block the spread of lung squamous cancers."

"As a cancer survivor, the fight against cancer is a deeply personal issue for me. I am very honored to receive support from LCRF, and I am especially grateful to receive an award in honor of the late William Rippe, " said Dr. Pecot. "With this support, I am even more inspired to make substantial contributions to this field."

This year, LCRF received a record 180 grant applications from investigators representing 120 institutions and 20 countries. The maximum award amount is $150,000 for a two-year funding period, and the 2016 awardees include:

Nadya Dimitrova, PhD, Yale University
Making first strides towards elucidating the importance of long noncoding RNAs in lung cancer

Yasir Elamin, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center               
Identification and targeting primary resistance mechanisms in lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations

Giuseppe Giaccone, MD, PhD, Georgetown University
Resistance to targeted therapy in lung cancer

Benjamin Lok, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center    
Understanding small cell lung cancer drug sensitivity to a targeted drug (PARP inhibitors) and therapeutic radiation by genetic screens

Rossella Marullo, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medical College        
Elucidating the biological functions of a novel therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer

Hiromitsu Nakauchi, MD, PhD, Stanford University        
Exploring novel rejuvenated T cell immunotherapy for lung cancer

Matthew Oser, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Identification of new therapeutic targets for small cell lung cancer

Edwin Ostrin, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center   
The immunoproteasome investigating a new interaction between lung cancer and the immune system

Chad Pecot, MD, University of North Carolina  
Targeting the immune system to block the spread of lung squamous cancers

Dan Raz, MD, MAS, City of Hope Cancer Center
Incorporating lung cancer screening education into tobacco cessation counseling

Rachid Skouta, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso          
Identification of promising novel drug candidates for non-small cell lung cancer

Joshua Veatch, MD, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center       
A new vaccine approach to induce T cell immune responses in lung cancer

Ralph Weichselbaum, MD, The University of Chicago   
Overcoming treatment resistance in lung cancer

Wen Xue, PhD, University of Massachusetts Medical School     
Treating KRAS-mutant lung cancer by inhibiting the NF-kB pathway

David Yu, MD, PhD, Emory University   
Targeting EZH2 for small cell lung cancer therapy

For more information about LCRF's Scientific Grant Program, visit: https://www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org/research

About The Lung Cancer Research Foundation

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting lung cancer research. LCRF's mission is to improve and save lives by funding groundbreaking research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has provided nearly 300 grants, totaling $23 million to 90 institutions around the world for critical lung cancer research.

Contact:

Emily Prager, eprager@Lungfund.org, 212.588.1580

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SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation