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Innovative research brings hope for new approaches to treat RET-positive lung cancer

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, and the Hamoui Foundation are proud to announce the recipients of the Hamoui Foundation/LUNGevity Clinical Research Award for RET-positive Lung Cancer.

RET rearrangements, in which a piece of the RET gene is fused to another gene, are known to be important for driving cancer growth. Although these are relatively rare mutations, found in 1% to 2% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), researchers have developed two targeted therapies for RET-positive lung cancer. These targeted treatments, called RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat cancers carrying the RET biomarker. However, tumors typically develop resistance to these treatments and begin to grow again. Overcoming this drug resistance and finding new approaches to effectively treat RET-positive lung cancer is an important goal for the Hamoui Foundation and LUNGevity.

"As a person living with RET-positive lung cancer, I understand first-hand the needs of patients with this type of lung cancer. We must find new approaches to optimize existing FDA-approved treatments as well as novel ways to beat drug resistance, so that we can stay on our current treatments longer," said Omaima Salous, co-founder of the Hamoui Foundation. "And we must always be forward-focused. If these drugs stop working for us – what's next?  We must keep one eye on the next generation of treatments on the horizon."

This award mechanism harnesses the power of two organizations to fund impactful research that can have direct clinical implications for all patients living with RET-positive lung cancer.

The recipients of the 2024 Hamoui Foundation/LUNGevity Clinical Research Award for RET-positive Lung Cancer are:

Researcher: Amy Cummings, MD, PhD
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Project: Immunogenic Peptide Priming of Dendritic Cells for RET+ NSCLC

Dr. Cummings and her team aim to leverage their extensive experience in creating personalized vaccines to help patients have better outcomes with existing FDA-approved immunotherapy. Using bio-engineered dendritic cells (cells in the immune system) that have been programmed with key RET mutations, Dr. Cummings' work will focus on training the immune system to identify these RET mutations in cancer cells. Once the immune system is trained, the researchers plan to use an FDA-approved immunotherapy to unlock the patient's natural ability to kill cancer cells. This combined approach will allow the immune system to effectively identify and then kill the tumor cells. To speed up the process of bringing this novel approach to patients, Dr. Cummings has patient samples ready to be tested in the laboratory to identify the best pieces of the RET mutations to use when training the immune system. Once this laboratory work is complete, she is prepared to test this approach in an existing and fully funded clinical trial.

Researcher: Romel Somwar, PhD
Institution: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Project: Developing New Therapeutic Approaches for RET-positive Cancers

There are multiple ways that tumor cells can develop drug resistance to RET TKIs. In approximately 30% of patients with RET-positive lung cancer, resistance is caused by activating a protein pathway called RAS-MAPK. Dr. Somwar and his team will develop a strategy to overcome this type of drug resistance by combining RET TKIs and targeting the RAS-MAPK pathway simultaneously. Using mouse models and patient-derived cell lines, they will quickly develop the next line of treatment for patients whose tumors have developed resistance to first-line therapy. In addition, the team will study the resistance mechanisms of a promising second-generation RET TKI (still being tested in clinical trials) with the goal of preventing drug resistance and extending the amount of time patients can be successfully treated on approved treatments.

"LUNGevity is honored to partner with the Hamoui Foundation again to create meaningful improvements in how we treat RET-positive lung cancer," said Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, executive director of LUNGevity Research. "In general, lung cancer research is underfunded and federal funds for rare types of lung cancer, such as RET-positive lung cancer, are scarce.  Through this award we aim to bring timely hope and progress for all people living with RET-positive lung cancer."

About the Hamoui Foundation

The Hamoui Foundation is a private family foundation based in Southern California. Since its establishment in 2010, the Hamoui Foundation has gifted over $20 million dollars to support progress in areas of cancer and other medical research, education, community nonprofit organizations, and the fight against hunger and poverty. 

Their goal is to focus their efforts on a select number of key initiatives to create visible step changes in the organizations they support. They aim to create sustainable benefit through the establishment of endowments that provide ongoing funding. 

While their focus is on creating substantial changes for select projects, they do not underestimate the power of supporting selective local nonprofit organizations in their community. 

For more information about the Hamoui Foundation, please visit www.hamouifoundation.org

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity, the nation's leading lung cancer organization, is transforming what it means to be diagnosed and live with lung cancer. LUNGevity seeks to make an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease—while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum.

• Through research, we use an innovative and holistic approach to finding lung cancer earlier when it is most treatable; advance research into new treatments so people may live longer and better; and ensure a diverse, vital pipeline of investigators for the future of the lung cancer field.
• Through advocacy, we foster groundbreaking collaborations to ensure all people have access to screening, biomarker testing, and treatment breakthroughs.
• Through community, we educate, support, and connect people affected by lung cancer so that they can get the best healthcare and live longer and better lives.

Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, Patient Gateways for specific types of lung cancer, a toll-free HELPLine for personalized support, international survivor conferences, and tools to find a clinical trial. All these programs are designed to help us achieve our vision—a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.

Please visit www.LUNGevity.org to learn more. 

About Lung Cancer in the US

• About 1 in 18 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• More than 234,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, with a new diagnosis every 2.2 minutes.
• It is estimated that close to 65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people with no tobacco exposure or only past tobacco exposure.
• More lives are lost to lung cancer than to the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined.
• Only 27% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves to 64%.

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SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation