2014 UALC
Piro Lito, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Research Project:
Direct targeting of ERK as a therapeutic modality against non-small cell lung cancer
Summary:
Lung cancer remains the deadliest form of human cancer; affecting approximately 250,000 people annually in the U.S. Lung cancer is driven by many different genetic alterations, a number of which modulate tumor growth by activating the protein ERK. Dr. Lito is developing new treatments for lung cancer by testing novel inhibitors that directly target ERK in patient-derived preclinical models. His work will help us better understand the biology of lung cancer and increase the therapeutic arsenal available to treat patients with this disease.