Lauren Averett Byers, MD
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Research Project:
Targeting Diverse Cell Populations to Identify and Treat Resistant Cells in Lung Cancer
Grant Awarded:
- Lung Cancer Discovery Award
Research Topics:
- basic biologic mechanisms
- biomarkers
- clinical research
- combination therapies experimental therapeutics
- computational biology
- immunology immunotherapy
- proteomics
Research Disease:
- lung cancer
Aggressive lung cancers called pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (hgNECs), including large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), account for about 20% of lung cancers. Current treatment approaches are initially effective; however, the benefit is short-lived, and relapse occurs with ultimately resistance to all treatment options. Average life expectancy is only one year from diagnosis, highlighting the urgency of improving therapeutic options. Treatment resistance is driven by increasing tumor diversity (cells from the same tumor that are different) that steadily shifts in favor of emerging cancer cells resistant to available treatments. A tailored approach that accounts for these diverse cancer cells is critical to developing therapies capable of inducing long-term remission, or even cures, in these patients. We are using a radical approach to target diverse cell populations using their unique protein signatures to identify resistant cells and deliver chemotherapy directly.
Pierre Massion Lung Cancer Discovery Award
Page last updated: October 7, 2024
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