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Sara Conley
PCI
(312) 558-1770

NATIONAL LUNG CANCER PARTNERSHIP AWARDS YOUNG INVESTIGATOR RESEARCH GRANTS
Competition Supports, Encourages Scientists Entering Lung Cancer Field

MADISON, Wis. (January 27, 2010) – The National Lung Cancer Partnership is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Young Investigator Research Grant competition. The competition was developed 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. “Lung cancer research is severely under-funded at the federal level in proportion to the death toll from this disease,” said Regina Vidaver, Ph.D., executive director of the National Lung Cancer Partnership. “Part of our mission is to ignite the interest of young scientists and make a career in lung cancer research a viable endeavor."

Grant recipients will receive $100,000 total distributed over two years. Since its inception, the competition has awarded over $1.5 million to support lung cancer research.

Stephen Malkoski, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Denver

During tumor development, cancer cells interact with surrounding non-cancerous cells that can support or inhibit tumor growth. Dr. Malkoski will examine whether defects in a protein that regulates normal lung growth create an environment that supports lung cancer growth. This research may eventually provide opportunities to identify new lung cancer therapies that target the tumor environment.
This grant is supported by the National Lung Cancer Partnership.

Heidi Hamann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Lung cancer patients may feel shame and guilt related to their disease due to the stigma of lung cancer’s association with smoking. This stigma can negatively affect their care and treatment. Dr. Hamann is working to develop a way to measure lung cancer stigma, examine differences between what men and women experience, and study how stigma affects patients’ communications with their doctors. Learning more about lung cancer stigma will allow clinicians to directly address and reduce this stigma and eventually improve treatment and care for lung cancer patients.
This grant is supported by the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership and the National Lung Cancer Partnership.

Mark Onaitis, M.D., Assistant Professor, Duke University Medical Center

Dr. Onaitis is seeking to better understand the complexity of lung cancer tumors by characterizing tumor-initiating cells and how they respond to certain molecular signals. He will investigate how the type and location of a tumor-initiating cell contributes to the aggressiveness of the cancer. A better understanding of the different types of cells within a tumor and how those cells are affected by cell signals could help develop more effective targeted therapies.
This grant is supported by the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership and LUNGevity Foundation.

May-Lin Wilgus, M.D., Fellow, Columbia University

A particular type of lung cancer, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), is generally not aggressive. However, it can transform into adenocarcinoma, a more aggressive form of cancer. Dr. Wilgus is seeking to determine whether abnormalities in a specific chromosome are associated with progression of BAC to adenocarcinoma. This research has the potential to help identify which patients are likely to experience recurrence of cancer after surgery, so they can be provided with additional treatment.
This grant is supported by the National Lung Cancer Partnership and LUNGevity Foundation.

Sai Yendamuri, M.D., Attending Surgeon, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Assistant Professor, State University of New York at Buffalo

Although early stage lung cancer is often curable with surgery, up to 30% to 40% of these cancers will recur. Predicting which patients have a high risk of recurrence would allow more aggressive treatment in the beginning, potentially curing more people. Dr. Yendamuri’s research aims to understand whether looking at a set of genetic components, micro RNAs, can predict who will experience disease recurrence, and whether these micro RNAs can be used to detect recurrence earlier than is now possible.
This grant is supported by the National Lung Cancer Partnership and LUNGevity Foundation.

In addition to the organizations listed above, these grants were made possible through funding from Amgen, Genentech, sanofi-aventis and individual donors.

The National Lung Cancer Partnership is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization made up of leading doctors, researchers, patient advocates, and lung cancer survivors dedicated to raising public awareness of the disease and generating funding for lung cancer research. For more information please visit www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org.