LUNGevity had a tremendous year supporting impactful research in 2024. In addition to our existing portfolio of ongoing research grants, we issued several new research awards in 2024. All of these awards are in strategic areas of research that are likely to move the dial for people living with lung cancer today and those who will be diagnosed in the future.
Below are more details about the research projects we recently announced funding for.
LUNGevity Supports 10 New Research Projects Totaling $3,141,656 In 2024
Early Detection
LUNGevity and our partner, Rising Tide for Clinical Cancer Research, are committed to improving our ability to detect lung cancer earlier when it is the most treatable.
Learn more about the project led by Abhijit Patel, MD, PhD, that measures tiny amounts of DNA fragments from cancer cells in the bloodstream.
Immunotherapy Resistance
Overcoming resistance to immunotherapy is a big challenge for the lung cancer community. LUNGevity, in partnership with the Brown Family of Atlanta, are rolling up our sleeves to help.
Learn more about the project led by Dwight Owen, MD, that’s aimed at improving the effectiveness and duration of immunotherapy treatment.
Targeted Therapy Resistance
This year, we are celebrating 20 years since the discovery of the role of EGFR in lung cancer ushered in a new era of targeted therapies. Since then, we’ve seen a new hurdle in treating these patients—the tumors develop resistance to treatment. LUNGevity, in partnership with the Hamoui Foundation and RETpositive, is working to improve treatment options for RET-positive cancers (regardless of tumor type) and RET-positive lung cancer.
Learn more about the two RET-positive lung cancer cancer projects we are funding alongside the Hamoui Foundation.
Learn more about the research project leveraging a new technology— PROteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs)—to break down RET proteins.
Radiation Oncology
Through radiation oncology seed grants, LUNGevity and our partner, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), are fostering the next generation of radiation oncologists who are interested in revolutionizing the way we treat lung cancer.
Learn more about this new group of researchers who are getting support through the LUNGevity and ASTRO Grant and Fellowship Program.
Career Development Awards
Through these research grants, LUNGevity is proud to build a robust research workforce focused on improving the lives of people living with lung cancer. These awards transform the current cutting-edge ideas of today into the progress of tomorrow.
Learn more about the three researchers, and their projects, who were selected for LUNGevity Career Development Awards.
Lung Cancer Interception
Stopping lung cancer before it starts is a scientific dream that’s turning into a reality through the support of LUNGevity and our partner, the American Lung Association.
Learn more about LUNGevity and the American Lung Association investing $3 million over three years to intercept lung cancer. This project was originally funded in 2023 and does not factor into the total research investment we made this year.
Coming in 2025
LUNGevity’s RFA Day (when we announce our Requests for Applications) is coming up in early 2025—keep an eye out for the full scope of the research grants LUNGevity is offering next year, which will be updated on this page.
We routinely share updates on the progress of the research projects we fund through researcher Q&As. You can read those updates and more here.