Rachel M.A. Linger, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver: Synergistic Interaction Between Standard Chemotherapy and Novel Biologically Targeted Therapy for Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

This grant is being fully funded by Elliot’s Legacy, through the Uniting Against Lung Cancer Grant Program.

Dr. Linger’s research is focused on the role of a protein called Axl receptor tyrosine kinase in lung cancer. The presence of Axl makes lung cancer cells more invasive and increases the chance that the cancer will spread to other areas in the body. Thus, lung cancer patients with high levels of Axl present in their tumor have a poor prognosis. Dr. Linger believes that the presence of Axl also provides a survival advantage for the lung cancer cells, making them resistant to killing with chemotherapy. Her laboratory has developed inhibitors of the Axl protein and will test whether these inhibitors reduce survival and limit invasiveness of lung cancer cells. Studies will also be conducted to determine whether inhibitors of the Axl protein increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. If proven correct, these findings could lead to opportunities to provide a more effective treatment for lung cancer.