Identifying New Treatment Combinations in Lung Cancer
Supported by Hockey Fights Cancer and AstraZeneca, Dr. Lindsay LaFave is pursuing bold ideas to tackle late-stage lung cancer
Despite continuous drops in age-adjusted death rates, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The V Foundation continues to push the envelope in lung cancer research, funding passionate scientists dedicated to saving more lives. One inspired researcher is Lindsay LaFave, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, researcher at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and 2023 V Scholar funded with support from Hockey Fights Cancer powered by the V Foundation presented by AstraZeneca.
Similar to many cancers, identifying and treating lung cancer in early stages results in better outcomes than treating it late-stage. Dr. LaFave and her team focus on gene regulation in the progression of lung cancer, all the way from the earliest stages to metastasis, where cells leave the primary tumor and travel to other organs. These cells can be extremely difficult to treat because they often evade or resist treatments.
“My hope with our V Foundation-funded research is to be able to identify new combination therapies that will work well for lung cancer patients that have early-stage disease as well as those with late-stage disease. Right now is an incredibly exciting time for lung cancer therapies.”
Dr. LaFave and her team recently identified a protein called RUNX2, which becomes very active in the late stages of lung cancer progression. Due to this finding, they’re now exploring whether RUNX2 positive cells respond to certain combinations of treatments.
Dr. LaFave’s work in lung cancer and career in cancer research was inspired not only by the curious complexities of biology and the disease, but also by her many family members and friends who have been impacted by cancer.
“While I’ve been excited by a lot of progress that has happened in the field, especially in recent years the progress has been very inspiring, we know there’s a lot of work to do. I’m continually inspired and motivated to continue to work on new therapeutic approaches which will impact many people across the country and world who are impacted by this terrible disease.”
The V Foundation prides itself on funding bold, innovative research projects. It takes bold moves to truly change the game and accelerate Victory Over Cancer®. Thankfully, our partners share this approach. Dr. LaFave’s grant is proudly funded partially by Hockey Fights Cancer and AstraZeneca, and she exemplified the importance of funding cutting-edge research ideas.
“My lab is focused on asking questions that are bold and really trying to change paradigms in cancer treatment. Sometimes, asking those questions you come up with new ideas and new approaches that you want to test, but you really need someone to invest in you to tackle those innovative strategies… It’s critical that partners like Hockey Fights Cancer and AstraZeneca are committed to helping us tackle some of those really bold, risky questions because it’s framed the way I can think about science in my own lab. I think that we can pursue some of these bold and innovative questions with the ultimate goal of leading to cures for cancer. I’m really grateful for the support from all of these partners in our research.”
