The award, which was initiated by three-year-plus lung cancer survivor and never smoker Prem Chawla, is intended for the research lab and its leader showing the most progress in lung cancer research in a particular year. The purpose of this award is to provide funding for research and to recognize the demonstrated excellence of research labs seeking to develop novel treatment options for lung cancer survivors.
As Mr. Chawla notes, “Many survivors are developing resistance to available treatments, and so these doctors are making a valiant effort to overcome this challenge and take us to the next level of progress.”
The 2007 Hope Now awardees are Pasi Jänne, M.D., Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and William Pao, M.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Both awardees are medical oncologists who specialize in treating patients with lung cancer, as well as translational researchers focused on non-small cell lung cancer.
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Pasi Jänne, M.D., Ph.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Jänne’s main research interests include the study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and their impact on the efficacy of EGFR-targeted therapeutic agents.
EGFR mutations occur primarily in never smokers. These patients have very high response rates to EGFR inhibitors. Dr. Jänne’s lab has studied mechanisms of developing resistance to EGFR inhibitors and novel ways to overcome this resistance, especially using irreversible pan erbB inhibitors that bind receptors with resistance mutations in EGFR such as T790m. |
William Pao, M.D.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Pao’s primary interest lies in identifying mutations in genes that may play a role in lung tumors. He is also studying why some patients and not others respond to targeted therapies such as gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva).
Dr. Pao first reported the link between EGFR mutations and EGFR TKI response in never smokers. He also described the relationship between the amount of cigarette smoking and EGFR and KRAS mutations and discovered the causes of relapse in never-smoking patients with initial benefit from gefitinib and erlotinib. |
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