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Grant Recipients

The Young Investigator Research Grant competition was developed to support lung cancer researchers early in their careers and ignite their interest in the field. Grant recipients will receive $100,000 total distributed over two years.

Since the beginning of our research grants program in 2005, the National Lung Cancer Partnership has awarded over $3 million to support lung cancer research. We are pleased to announce the winners of our 2012 Young Investigator Research Grant competition!

Young Investigator Research Grants


Peter Hammerman, MD, PhD Trever Bivona, MD PhD 
Assistant Professor, University of California, San Francisco
Approximately 20% of non-small cell lung cancers have mutations in a gene called EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor). While a drug called erlotinib (Tarceva®) appears especially effective in controlling these tumors, most tumors become resistant to the effects of the drug over time. These patients' drug resistance can be promoted by the activation of a gene called AXL, so Dr. Bivona's research seeks to understand how AXL promotes erlotinib resistance. This project could lead to clinical trials that determine whether drugs that block AXL can improve erlotinib¹s effectiveness, helping patients on the drug live longer.
This grant is made possible by A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation.
Puneeth Iyengar, MD, PhD

Khaled Hassan, MD, MS  

Clinical Lecturer, University of Michigan
During normal fetal development, certain cells participate in the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a process in which such cells undergo changes that allow them to transition to a new cell type and function, and migrate to new locations. Normally, this transition is “turned off” after fetal development. However, in some cancerous cells, the EMT pathway can get “turned back on,” allowing these cells to invade normal tissues,  overcome common signals telling the cells when they should die, and resist standard anti-tumor therapy. Dr. Hassan’s research aims to determine whether blocking a specific protein — the Notch protein — stops the activation of EMT in lung cancer cells. If blocking Notch proves effective, Dr. Hassan will investigate whether a Notch-targeting drug can make lung cancer cells more responsive to chemotherapy.
James Kim, MD, PhD Shadia Jalal, MD  

Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Jalal is examining the role of RAD51, a protein important to DNA repair, in metastasis, or spread, of lung cancer. If we can fully understand how RAD51 affects metastasis, we can find new ways to target the protein, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for people with metastatic lung cancer.
Celine Mascaux, MD, PhD

Naveen Kommajosyula, PhD  

Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Many chemotherapy treatments work by attacking the DNA of cancer cells. Cancer cells are often resistant to these treatments because they have an overactive ability to repair this DNA damage. As a result, the cancer cells don’t die. One protein, poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), seems to be particularly vital to this DNA repair process. If this protein is blocked by drugs (called PARP inhibitors), the cancer cell can’t repair itself and will die. Dr. Kommajosyula’s research aims to understand how to block PARP in lung cancers and test new drugs that could be used in combination with PARP inhibitors in order to provide more effective treatment options for lung cancer patients.
This grant is made possible by the National Lung Cancer Partnership and Uniting Against Lung Cancer.
Claire Simpson, PhD Don Nguyen, PhD  

Assistant Professor, Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center
Some adenocarcinoma patients treated with chemotherapy temporarily experience a decrease in their tumors, or no additional growth. But usually, even after a good response, lung tumors eventually start growing again and spread to other vital organs. This process, termed cancer metastasis, is the major cause of death in lung cancer patients. Some researchers believe this is due to the spread of cancer “stem cells” that are resistant to treatment. Dr. Nguyen’s research aims to identify the molecules marking these cancer stem cells so that they can be easily identified. Once identified, monitoring these cells can help determine the timing of cancer progression, potentially leading to cheaper, safer, and more accurate ways to assess the effectiveness of how a therapy is working for an individual patient over time.
This grant is made possible through the Louisiana Hope Research Grant provided by the Louisiana Lung Cancer Partnership.
Sunil Singhal, MD Kerstin Sinkevicius, PhD 

Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
The majority of lung cancer patients are currently diagnosed at stage IV, when their cancer has already metastasized. Dr. Sinkevicius’ research seeks to determine if a specific protein, TrkB, plays a role in moving lung cancer cells into new tissues. If TrkB does play a role in the spread of cancer cells, this project will determine how best to block its effects, which could ultimately lead to the development of new lung cancer therapies that can prevent lung cancer metastasis.
Tokihiro Yamamoto, PhD 

Instructor Stanford University School of Medicine
Radiation is a mainstay in the lung cancer treatment arsenal. However, it can be challenging to avoid harming lung tissues surrounding the tumor.  Surrounding lung tissues may be healthy, or they may be unhealthy due to cancer, or other lung conditions. If doctors can better understand which tissues are truly healthy vs. unhealthy, the geometry of the radiation beam can be planned to specifically avoid harming the healthy tissue. This research project aims to develop, optimize and validate a new method for imaging the healthy and unhealthy portions of the lung using four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT). Dr. Yamamoto will compare 4D CT results of 30 lung cancer patients with another currently accepted, but less available scan method to determine whether 4D CT scans can be used to accurately image healthy vs. unhealthy portions of the lung.
Rinat Zaynagetdinov, MD, PhD  
Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition in which the immune system responds to an outside irritant, causing inflammation in the airway. This inflammation is an unnatural state for the lungs to continue to experience, and leads to a higher risk of lung cancer for people with COPD. Dr. Zaynagetdinov’s research seeks to understand how certain immune system cells present in inflammation, myeloid cells, promote lung cancer. This project is also investigating how a specific protein complex, NF-kB, affects the formation of those immune cells. Ultimately, this research could lead to new methods for preventing lung cancer, particularly in people with COPD.
This grant is made possible by the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership.

Lung Cancer Nursing Research Grant

Doris Howell, RN, PhD
RBC Chair, Oncology Nursing Education and Research and Scientist, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Princess Margaret Hospital (University Health Network), Toronto, Ontario
Breathlessness, or shortness of breath, is one of the most common and most distressing symptoms for lung cancer patients and can profoundly affect their daily lives.  With this grant, Dr. Howell will conduct a clinical trial to study the impact of teaching patients techniques and strategies for managing breathlessness themselves. By successfully controlling their own breathlessness, patients could see relief from symptoms more quickly and improve their quality of life.
This Grant is made possible by the National Lung Cancer Partnership and the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation.

Past grant recipients