LUNGevity Invests $1M+ in High-Priority Research to Expand Lung Cancer Workforce & Improve Patient Care

New awards support research spanning early detection, immunotherapy resistance, predictive biomarkers, and personalized treatment

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation has announced the recipients of six research awards aimed at strengthening the lung cancer research workforce and accelerating progress for people living with lung cancer. The awards reflect LUNGevity's ongoing commitment to advancing innovative research and improving outcomes for patients.

Over the past two decades, LUNGevity has invested more than $55 million in lung cancer research. The 2026 research awards build on that longstanding commitment by cultivating the next generation of lung cancer researchers and advancing high-impact science.

"The future of lung cancer research depends on who we empower today. At a time when the oncology workforce is shrinking, strengthening the pipeline of lung cancer researchers has never been more important," said Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, Executive Director of LUNGevity Research. "These awards invest in exceptional researchers whose ideas can spark the next generation of breakthroughs. By supporting their work, we are helping build a stronger future for everyone affected by lung cancer."

The 2026 Workforce Research Awards were selected by experts in the field to support research in strategic areas where progress is urgently needed:

• Leveraging new tools to solve persistent challenges
• Overcoming resistance to immunotherapy
• Predicting which patients will benefit from immunotherapy
• Empowering the immune system to control cancer
• Improving lung cancer screening and follow-up care in veterans
• Expanding personalized adoptive treatment options

LUNGevity is proud to announce the following recipients of the 2026 Translational Research Program Awards.

Career Development Awards

Established in 2012, LUNGevity's Career Development Awards are the Foundation's flagship program for junior investigators who are passionate about pursuing a career in lung cancer.  This sought-after awards program plays an important role in the lung cancer research community by building the future leaders of lung cancer. Past recipients of this award have developed their own independent research programs, received major grants from the National Institutes of Health and other funders, and even succeeded in getting a new treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.  

Researcher: Chris Frangieh, PhD 
Institution: Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Project: Relief of tonic cGAS-STING signaling in NSCLC
Total Amount: $300,000 
Award: Lung Cancer Initiative-LUNGevity Career Development Award 

During cell division, cells can acquire chromosomal abnormalities that drive cancer growth. It is well known that, in healthy tissue, the cGAS-STING pathway responds to abnormal chromosomes and triggers an immune response. Dr. Frangieh observed that in cancers that are driven by chromosomal abnormalities, this pathway does not work as it should, allowing tumors to grow. He and his team have developed a new drug that resets this pathway, and early experiments in lung cancer cells and mice have shown this drug improves immunotherapy efficacy. The team plans to continue this foundational work to develop a novel treatment approach. If successful, this work could help more patients benefit from currently approved immunotherapies.

"Unleashing the natural power of the immune system has been the bedrock of immunotherapy in lung cancer," said Jenni Danai, MPH, Chief Mission Delivery Officer at Lung Cancer Initiative. "For several years, targeting the cGAS-STING pathway has been a major challenge for researchers. Dr. Frangieh's team is finally making progress in this space. We are excited to see how this work unfolds and the opportunities it provides for new approaches in treating lung cancer."

Researcher: Surbhi Singhal, MD 
Institution: University of California, Davis
Project: Proteomic determinants of immunotherapy sensitivity in refractory NSCLC
Total Amount: $300,000 

Because some lung cancer patients don't benefit from immunotherapy, doctors often rely on existing tests such as PD-L1 expression or tumor mutation burden to help guide treatment plans.  However, these tests are not always reliable when predicting who will benefit from immunotherapy. Dr. Singhal's project aims to analyze blood samples from 136 patients enrolled in an immunotherapy clinical trial. The team will use advanced technology to measure approximately 7,000 proteins in each sample to identify patterns that separate responders from non-responders. Using these protein patterns, the team aims to develop a blood test that helps doctors reliably identify which patients will benefit from specific drugs, enabling more personalized treatment plans.

Researcher: No Joon Song, PhD 
Institution: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Project: NK cell-macrophage crosstalk remodels macrophage states in lung cancer
Total Amount: $300,000 

Immunotherapy has improved outcomes for patients with lung cancer by removing the brakes of the immune system. Yet lasting responses to immunotherapy are uncommon, suggesting that tumors may develop other ways to stop the immune system. Dr. Song's previous work identified natural killer (NK) cells that limit productive CD8 T-cell responses and contribute to immunotherapy resistance. He has also found these NK cells actively restrain macrophages from targeting tumor cells. This project will use advanced profiling and functional studies in lung cancer models to clarify how macrophages are controlled by NK cells and whether disrupting the NK-macrophage interaction enhances response to immunotherapy. By uncovering this new layer of immune suppression in lung cancer, this work offers an opportunity to develop combination therapies that target both the NK-CD8 T-cell interactions and the NK-macrophage interactions to improve how patients benefit from immunotherapy.

Veterans Affairs Research Scholar Awards

This award program is designed to foster a new generation of researchers interested in having a direct impact on improving outcomes for veterans with lung cancer.

Researcher: Brendan Heiden, MD, MBA, MPHS
Institution: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Project: Real-world outcomes of screening-detected NSCLC in a national cohort
Total Amount: $100,000 

Veterans in the US face a higher risk of developing lung cancer due to several factors, including increased tobacco exposure. The VA has developed one of the country's largest lung cancer screening programs using annual low-dose CT scans. While it is known that screening saves lives, it is not known what happens to patients in the VA once their cancer is found by screening. In this project, Dr. Heiden will study the VA records of more than 100,000 veterans diagnosed with lung cancer over the past ten years, comparing those who had their lung cancer discovered via screening to those whose lung cancer was found in other ways, to see if there are differences in their stage at diagnosis, treatments received, and long-term survival. These findings will help the VA improve its screening program, reduce gaps in who gets screened, and improve care for veterans. Results from this study may also help shape lung cancer screening in non-VA hospitals across the country.

Health Equity and Inclusiveness Research Fellow Award

This award program is designed to support researchers interested in conducting lung cancer research that bridges health disparities by engaging underserved or overlooked communities.

Researcher: Tatiana Delgado Cruz, MD
Institution: Weill Cornell Medicine
Project: Utilizing the tumor-draining lymph node as a third source of adoptive cell therapy
Total Amount: $100,000 

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is a form of immunotherapy that uses a patient's own T cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Currently, there are two main sources for ACT cells: 1) white blood cells called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) that are taken directly from tumors for expansion and reinfusion, and 2) peripheral blood T cells that are collected and genetically modified to kill tumor cells. In this project, Dr. Delgado Cruz aims to produce a more reliable source of T cells for ACT by developing tumor-draining lymph nodes with increased antitumor activity. If successful, this work will open the door to a new adoptive cell therapy approach and a more powerful, personalized treatment option for lung cancer.

Researcher: Nehemias Guevara Rodriguez, MD
Institution: Saint Louis University
Project: Quantifying radiographic response in veterans receiving immunotherapy
Total Amount: $30,000 

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved outcomes for many patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, despite biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden, it is still difficult to predict which patients with stage IV NSCLC will benefit from immunotherapy, and for how long. In this study, Dr. Guevara Rodriguez will utilize existing genomic and clinical databases from the VA to identify better biomarkers for treating advanced NSCLC in the veteran population.

Through these awards, LUNGevity is building a pipeline of lung cancer experts who will drive innovation and discovery to bring us a future where no one dies from the disease.

About Lung Cancer Initiative

Lung Cancer Initiative is a leading nonprofit organization supporting lung cancer research and education and connecting patients, survivors and their loved ones with the medical and research community. LCI's mission is to advance survivorship and provide support through research, education, and access programs. The organization has funded nearly $4 million in lung cancer research and assisted thousands of patients in accessing treatment and support services following a lung cancer diagnosis. For more information about Lung Cancer Initiative, please visit www.lungcancerinitiative.org.  

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity Foundation is transforming what it means to be diagnosed and live with lung cancer. While many organizations focus on one aspect of lung cancer, LUNGevity works across research, advocacy, and patient support, because lasting progress requires connecting all three. 

As the largest nonprofit funder of lung cancer research in the United States, LUNGevity drives progress in early detection, more effective treatments, and the next generation of researchers. We empower people diagnosed with lung cancer and their caregivers with scientifically vetted information, resources, and community and advocate for policies that improve access to screening, biomarker testing, treatment, and high-quality care for all.

By connecting scientific discovery, patient experience, and advocacy, we help ensure research reflects what patients need, breakthroughs reach the people who can benefit from them, and patient voices help drive meaningful change.

Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer.

Please visit www.LUNGevity.org to learn more. 

About Lung Cancer in the US

• About 1 in 19 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
  
  
• More than 229,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, with a new diagnosis every 2.3 minutes.
  
  
• It is estimated that close to 65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people with no tobacco exposure or only past tobacco exposure.
  
  
• More lives are lost to lung cancer than to the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined.
  
  
• Only 29.5% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves to 65%.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation