Research Award Focused on Accelerating Treatment Options for People with ALK-Positive Lung Cancer

NEW YORK, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation announced today that a new, two-year, $300,000 research award focused on accelerating treatment options for people with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now open for investigator submission.

In 2007, scientists discovered that a genetic abnormality, or fusion, called EML4-ALK plays a key role in driving a subset of NSCLC. This led to the development of targeted drugs called ALK inhibitors, the first of which was FDA-approved in 2011. The latest of these, lorlatinib, is a third-generation inhibitor designed to overcome resistance to earlier drugs. In a major clinical trial (CROWN), lorlatinib outperformed an older drug, crizotinib, showing longer progression-free survival and better control of brain metastases. At the most recent ASCO conference, results of seven years of follow-up showed that more than half of the patients enrolled in the trial have stable disease, the best result ever reported for a single targeted therapy in advanced NSCLC.

While this is great news, resistance eventually develops in all patients, leaving chemotherapy and clinical trials as the only remaining options, as immunotherapy has largely been ineffective in ALK-positive NSCLC. That is why LCRF is committed to funding research that will combat resistance when it does eventually occur. There is a critical need to better understand why these tumors grow, how they respond to treatment, and why resistance develops.

The 2026 LCRF Award on Advancing Breakthroughs in ALK-Positive Lung Cancer grant mechanism will focus on the science behind ALK rearrangements as oncogenic drivers of malignancy and/or the development of novel therapeutic approaches for patients with ALK positive lung cancer that have the potential to increase survivorship. Given the specific interest in the development of novel therapies that could benefit this group of patients in the near- term, a resulting clinical trial from this research would be ideal. Proposals for this grant should include a program of correlative, translational research that will enhance the understanding of ALK-driven lung cancers.

Bruce Dunbar, a member of LCRF's Board of Directors and ALK-positive lung cancer survivor, said, "Grants like this are critical to ensuring there are more options and new approaches to treating ALK-positive NSCLC that has stopped responding to existing therapies. More investment in research means more ALK patients will live longer and better lives and the closer we'll get to a cure."

"Science has already given many people with ALK-positive lung cancer years they wouldn't otherwise have had. But we cannot stop there," remarked Kathryn A. O'Donnell, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Co-leader, Development and Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Chair of the LCRF Scientific Advisory Board. "Resistance will eventually develop, and we have an obligation to be ready. Funding this research now is how we make sure the next breakthrough will happen."

The 2026 LCRF Award on Advancing Breakthroughs in ALK-Positive Lung Cancer grant was made possible by funding from members of the lung cancer community, led by Colleen Conner Ziegler, chair of LCRF's board of directors and ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; the Murgatroyd family, who lost their daughter at the age of 24 to ALK-positive lung cancer; Mary Ann Tighe and Dr. David Hidalgo, in honor of Dr. Randi Warren, an ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; David Cornbrooks, co-founder of the Sweat for Breath Foundation and an ALK-positive lung cancer survivor; an independent grant from Pfizer; and many other generous donors.

Submissions for this mechanism will be reviewed through a two-step process: Letters of Intent will be accepted until midnight on July 15, 2026; if selected, investigators will then be chosen to submit full proposals, subject to rigorous review by LCRF's Scientific Advisory Board.

More details about the Request for Proposal, along with eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found at LCRF.org/FundingOpportunities.

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 450 research grants, totaling nearly $53 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit lcrf.org.

Contact:
Sheila Sullivan, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@lcrf.org

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SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation