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EGFR Resisters is excited to continue our partnership with LUNGevity to raise funds for a second round of EGFR-positive lung cancer research project(s). Our group has worked since our founding in 2017 to identify gaps in research and critical needs for our patient community.  We funded the first round of grants in 2021 and are now ready to fund yet another round of innovative research most meaningful to the EGFR community.

We asked YOU about what matters most to patients! Based on what you have shared, we will be focusing this round of funding to ask important questions such as:

1. Why do EGFR-positive lung cancers metastasize to the brain? What can we do to treat brain metastases and leptomeningeal disease?
2. Why do some cancer cells remain after treatment? How can we target the cancer cells with new treatments or combinations?
3. What is the difference between oligoprogression and oligometastasis? How can we treat oligometastatic disease?

Our goal is to raise $400,000 to fund researcher(s) for two 2-year project(s). If we exceed our goal, we can fund even more projects! We will continue to work with LUNGevity’s science team to identify the best research that we believe will have a significant impact on our patient community.

Impact of the 2021 EGFR Resisters/LUNGevity grants thanks to YOUR support!

Christine Lovly, MD, PhD Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN Targeting Drug Tolerant States + DNA Damage to Block Osimertinib Resistance

The most common EGFR mutation occurring in ∼50% of patients is termed “exon 19 deletion” (ex19del). Ex19dels are not one mutation but a group of mutations in a specific region of the EGFR gene. However, clinicians currently do not distinguish between ex19del variants in considering treatment options. Also, differences between ex19del variants are largely unstudied in the broader scientific community. With your support, Dr. Lovly’s team was able to show that the different ex19del mutations have different structures. These differences may explain why all ex19del mutations do not respond in the same way to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These findings have been encapsulated in a manuscript (PMID: 35867821).

 

Helena Yu, MD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY Molecular Characterization of Lineage Plasticity

As a mechanism of resistance to EGFR inhibitors, cancers can change histology from adenocarcinoma to small cell or squamous cell lung cancer. Once this happens, EGFR inhibitors are no longer effective treatment; there are no strategies currently available to prevent or reverse transformation after it has occurred. With your support, Dr. Yu’s team has shown that mutations in the APOEBC genes (APOBEC mutational signatures) are common in EGFR-positive lung adenocarcinomas. These mutations may contribute to histologic transformation as well as other mechanisms of acquired resistance. These findings have been encapsulated in a manuscript (PMID: 36089134). Dr. Yu has also received an R01 grant totaling $1.25M from the National Cancer Institute based on preliminary data collected through the EGFR Resisters/LUNGevity grant.

 

How you can participate:

1. Make a tax deductible donation online.
2. Create your own fundraising page! Proceeds from a lemonade stand, 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 "For EGFR Resisters" in the memo section and mail it to:
   LUNGevity Foundation
   PO Box 754
   Chicago, Il 60690