Previously Funded Research

Mark Onaitis, MD

Duke University School of Medicine

Research Project:

Targeting Lung Cancer Metastasis to the Brain and Bone

Summary:

(Awarded with Ann Marie Pendergast, PhD) The spread of cancer cells, or metastasis, to the brain and bones is responsible for about 90% of lung cancer deaths. Since a large number of patients treated with current therapies develop brain and bone metastasis, new therapies that prevent and stop cancer cells from spreading are urgently needed. Drs. Pendergast and Onaitis aim to find these new therapies. Dr. Pendergast and her team found that specific enzymes in cancer cells, called Abl kinases, are hyperactive in some types of lung cancer. This abnormal enzyme activity is linked to the spread of lung cancer cells to the brain and bones. “Our discovery that metastatic lung cancers can be targeted with Abl-selective inhibitors is groundbreaking and potentially life-saving,” said Dr. Pendergast. Dr. Pendergast and her team will research the complex network of Abl-related signals in tumor cells and how they lead to metastasis. The team will also investigate whether a new class of drugs that has shown significant promise for treating leukemia might also decrease metastasis in lung cancer patients. Their research will work to determine which types of lung cancers are best treated with this class of drugs, and whether these drugs can be combined with other treatments for the best chance of patient survival.