MADISON, Wis. – National Lung Cancer Partnership, in partnership with the LUNGevity Foundation, is pleased to announce the winners of their third annual research grant competition.
The research grants, each $100,000, were created to advance research in basic lung cancer biology, risk assessment, prevention, detection, and response to treatment. “With the support of Genentech and our very generous donors, we’re able to offer researchers critical funding when choosing to investigate this deadly disease,” said Regina Vidaver, executive director of National Lung Cancer Partnership.
Hildegard Schuller, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee is the recipient of a research grant for advancing the understanding of sex differences in lung cancer. Dr. Schuller’s research will evaluate the relationship between estrogen and the nicotine-derived carcinogen, NNK, in lung tumor formation. She hypothesizes that estrogen and NNK cause more DNA damage in lung cells than NNK alone.
“Understanding the basic mechanisms of estrogen’s influence in lung carcinogenesis should provide new targets for early diagnosis, prevention, and therapy,” said Dr. Schuller.
The second grant recipient is Albert Baldwin, Ph.D. of the Lineberger Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Baldwin will study molecules involved in the regulation of normal cell growth. When mutated, some of these molecules can cause normal cells to begin growing out of control, and can lead to cancer. In addition, he will investigate drugs that can block steps governing uncontrolled cell growth, with the goal of blocking lung tumor initiation and growth.
“Our goal is to increase the understanding of the development of lung cancer and to improve lung cancer treatment,” said Dr. Baldwin. “We are hopeful that the studies will lead to new therapeutic options for a large number of lung cancer patients.”
Lung cancer research is severely under-funded at the federal level in proportion to the death toll from this disease. The research grant program was created to drive research that will increase understanding of lung cancer and support scientists who choose to pursue lung cancer research, even in the face of a poor funding climate.
National Lung Cancer Partnership is the only national lung cancer organization founded by physicians and researchers and focused on understanding how the disease affects women differently than men. The 501(c) (3) organization was founded in 2001.
The LUNGevity Foundation is the only organization in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to funding lung cancer research. The 501(c) (3) organization was founded in 2000 by seven Chicago-area lung cancer survivors to increase funding for lung cancer research.