Linda Wenger
lwenger@LUNGevity.org
(973) 449-3214
WASHINGTON, DC (March 18, 2019) — LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be partnering with Pattern.org and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to give patients the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the future of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Through the partnership, lung cancer patients undergoing a surgical resection or a drainage for pleural effusion will be able to direct their excess cancer tissue and fluid samples by consenting through Pattern.org. Pattern coordinates the biologistics of sample collection and delivery to the Broad Institute’s Cancer Cell Line Project for development of next-generation research models (cell line and organoid). These models will enable researchers to better understand the vast genetic diversity among lung cancers and, ultimately, speed the development of new diagnostics and therapies. All created models and associated data will be shared broadly with the scientific community.
“A key barrier for researchers is the lack of cell line models to study how the cancer behaves and how it responds to different drugs,” says Upal Basu Roy, MPH, PhD, Senior Director of Research for the Foundation. “LUNGevity is excited to offer lung cancer patients a platform to provide lung cancer researchers with the tissue they need to learn about the disease. LUNGevity believes that patient-driven research will significantly accelerate progress for lung cancer patients.”
“A major goal for lung cancer research is to predict the vulnerabilities of each tumor based on its molecular profile,” says Jesse Boehm, PhD, Scientific Director of the Cancer Dependency Map at the Broad Institute. “Unfortunately, researchers lack a sufficient number and diversity of lung cancer laboratory models in the public domain that harbor rare and drug-resistant mutations. We see this partnership as an exciting new way for patients to directly help researchers overcome this central challenge.”
The partnership with Pattern.org and the Broad Institute strengthens LUNGevity’s commitment to drive translational research to increase treatment options for patients. To engage as many patient communities as possible, Pattern.org is working with leading patient advocacy groups and cancer research foundations in their continued efforts to support research institutions and universities.
Patients who have an upcoming surgery or drain at any institution in the continental US are invited to visit Pattern.org to learn more about how to donate their samples. David Sandak, co-founder of Pattern.org, is excited about this new partnership, saying, “By empowering lung cancer patients to direct their excess tissue to high-impact research projects, we hope to understand why some patients are resistant to existing therapies and identify new therapeutic strategies.”
About the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods, and data openly to the entire scientific community.
Founded by MIT, Harvard, Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff, and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, go to www.broadinstitute.org.
About Pattern.org
Pattern.org was launched by the Rare Cancer Research Foundation (rcrf.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to curing less common and drug-resistant cancers by creating shared resources for the cancer research community. Pattern.org bridges the gap between patients and scientists, empowering patients to be partners in research through donating excess tumor tissue and medical data to high-impact research. For more information about Pattern.org, including how to donate tissue to research, visit Pattern.org.
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity is the nation’s leading lung cancer organization investing in lifesaving, translational research and providing support services and education for patients and caregivers. LUNGevity’s goals are threefold: (1) accelerate research to patients, (2) empower patients to be active participants in their treatment decisions, and (3) remove barriers that patients face in accessing the right treatments.
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. LUNGevity’s comprehensive resources include a medically vetted website, a toll-free HELPLine in partnership with CancerCare®, a unique Lung Cancer Navigator app, peer-to-peer mentoring for patients and caregivers (LUNGevity LifeLine), and survivorship conferences. LUNGevity also helps patients find and navigate clinical trials through our Clinical Trial Finder tool, a Clinical Trial Ambassador program, and participation with EmergingMed.
Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, a four-star Charity Navigator organization, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.
About Lung Cancer in the U.S.
- About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 234,000 people in the U.S. 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 than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined
- Only 19% 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 dramatically