Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Most cases of lung cancer are caused by cigarette smoking. However, about 10% of lung cancer occurs in people who have never smoked. The type of lung cancer that commonly occurs in non-smokers is called bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC). This type of lung cancer often affects middle-age women and its incidence is on the rise in recent years. The cause of BAC is unknown. Patients with BAC often present with advanced disease and treatment options are very limited. Recently, new therapies targeting specific cancer cells have been successfully used to treat breast cancer and lymphoma cancer. We believe that new treatment specific for BAC lung cancer can also be found using the technology of ‘combinatorial chemistry’ invented in our laboratory. We will use this technology to identify proteins on BAC lung cancer cells and find chemicals specific for these proteins. Our ultimate goal is to develop these chemicals as specific treatment for BAC lung cancer.