ALK Positive and LUNGevity Foundation Announce Recipients of the 2022 ALK-Positive Research Awards

To transform advanced ALK-positive lung cancer into a chronic or curable disease, ALK Positive to award $1.75 million through their research award program

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patient organization ALK Positive, in partnership with LUNGevity Foundation, announced the 2022 recipients of the ALK Positive/LUNGevity ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Research Awards. The grant monies, totaling $1.75 million, were raised by ALK Positive and represent patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer themselves directly influencing the direction and focus of the research that affects their lives. This year's awardees are the third cohort to receive these awards.

The selected research projects will address unanswered questions in the ALK space and seek to quickly improve outcomes for the approximately 5% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose cancers have tested positive for an alteration in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene.

The recipients of the 2022 ALK Positive/LUNGevity ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Research Awards are:

1. Trever Bivona, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco—Defining and novel therapeutic targeting of ALK fusion protein granules
2. Roberto Chiarle, MD, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School—Development of ALK-specific TCR-T cells for the eradication of ALK+ NSCLC
3. Angel Qin, MD, University of Michigan—Gilteritinib for lorlatinib-resistant ALK NSCLC

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ALK Positive through these impactful research awards," said Upal Basu-Roy, PhD, MPH, executive director of research at LUNGevity Foundation. "Past research projects funded through our partnership have evaluated the role of the innate and adaptive immune response to ALK-positive lung cancer as well as new approaches to targeting the ALK fusion oncoprotein. The current projects, along with previously funded research, are moving the field of ALK-positive research forward and answering the critical question: What treatments can be developed that can extend the survival and improve the quality of life for ALK patients even more than currently available FDA-approved treatments?"

"We are delighted to continue our partnership on translational and clinical trial research with LUNGevity Foundation. The three scientists selected for the 2022 ALK Positive/LUNGevity ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Research Awards are international experts in the field. Their projects will expand ALK Positive's strategic investment in funding research that will add new treatment options to the current arsenal of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based treatment regimens," said Ken Culver, MD, Director of Research & Clinical Affairs of the ALK Positive patient-driven organization.

These grants seek to transform advanced ALK-positive lung cancer into a chronic or curable condition, changing the way patients and their loved ones are impacted by the disease.

ALK Positive is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to improving the life expectancy and quality of life for ALK-positive cancer patients worldwide. They have funded several million dollars in research proposals that aim to transform ALK-positive lung cancer into a chronic or curable condition for all patients living with this disease. ALK Positive has implemented multiple programs to improve care for ALK- positive cancer patients, and accelerate the development and availability of improved treatments. For more information about ALK Positive, please visit www.alkpositive.org.

LUNGevity Foundation is the nation's leading lung cancer organization focused on improving outcomes for people with lung cancer. The foundation works tirelessly to advance research into early detection and more effective treatments, and to ensure that patients have access to these advances. LUNGevity seeks to make an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease—while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum. LUNGevity provides information and educational tools to empower patients and their caregivers, promote impactful public policy initiatives, and amplify the patient voice through research and engagement. The organization provides an active community for patients and survivors—and those who help them live better and longer lives.

Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, a toll-free HELPLine for support, the International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference, and an easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder, among other tools. All of these programs are to achieve our vision—a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.

• About 1 in 17 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• More than 236,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.
• About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers.
• Lung cancer takes more lives in the United States than the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined.
• Only about 23% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it is caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically.

Please visit LUNGevity.org to learn more.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation