EGFR Resisters

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We are thrilled to announce that EGFR Resisters is becoming an independent nonprofit organization, and we couldn’t have done it without your support! Since our inception, we’ve been committed to driving meaningful progress that extends lives, enhances the quality of life, and ultimately changes the landscape for every person impacted by EGFR-positive lung cancer. 

As an independent organization, our efforts to transform the future for people impacted by EGFR-positive lung cancer will accelerate. Please help us build a global, supportive patient and caregiver community; advocate relentlessly to include the patient voice in all aspects of lung cancer research and care; advance patient-centered research that will identify new, powerful treatments; empower people in our community by providing education and resources that allow them to obtain quality care based on their preferences and values; and improve access—for EVERYONE—to the most advanced treatments available. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to LUNGevity for their unwavering support and for serving as our fiscal sponsor during this transition. Their partnership has been invaluable in helping us reach this point.

Please join our effort to drive progress and make a tangible difference in the lives of patients and families around the world. Every donation, big or small, will be life-changing for our family and friends.

With much appreciation,

Jill Feldman
Co-founder, EGFR Resisters

PS. If you want to help us change lives, please contact us at admin@egfrcancer.org. Whether it’s through volunteering, sharing your story, or making a donation, your involvement can help us drive change. We would love to hear from you!

Impact of the 2023 EGFR Resisters/LUNGevity grants thanks to YOUR support

Susumu Kobayashi, MD, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Targeting CD74 to Overcome Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors in Lung Cancer

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are a class of drugs that are used to treat EGFR NSCLC. These drugs eventually stop working and some cancer cells called drug-tolerant persisters (DTPs) are implicated in this resistance.  Dr. Kobayashi and his team have found that a protein called CD74 plays a role in developing a resistance to osimertinib.  In this project, he will investigate whether CD74-expressing cells allow for the development of DTPs and if inhibition of CD74 by combining an antibody-drug conjugate (CD74-MMAE) with osimertinib, prevents resistance. If successful, this has the potential to significantly impact the survival of EGFR patients by allowing them to stay on osimertinib for a longer duration.

Alexandre Reuben, PhD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Eliminating Drug-Tolerant Persister Cells Through T-cell Engineering

In this project, Dr. Reuben and colleagues aim to develop a novel therapeutic strategy harnessing immune response in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.  He will use engineered T cells with receptors targeting EGFR antigens to eradicate drug-tolerant persister (DTP) cells, preventing the emergence of resistance following treatment by osimertinib. This work lays the foundation for use of TCR-engineered T cells in treating patients with EGFR mutations.

How you can help:

1. Make a tax deductible donation online.
2. Create your own fundraising page. Proceeds from a garage sale, birthday celebration, email campaign, etc. can help us reach our goal. You'll see step-by-step instructions when you start your page.
3. Reach your family and friends through Facebook fundraising. Facebook makes it easy to create your fundraiser; be sure to search under Nonprofits and select LUNGevity Foundation as the beneficiary of your fundraiser. Use EGFR in the name of your fundraiser to ensure that the proceeds will go to the EGFR Resisters fund.
4. Mail in a check payable to LUNGevity Foundation. Please make sure that you write "EGFR Resisters" in the memo section and mail it to:
   LUNGevity Foundation
   PO Box 754
   Chicago, IL 60690