Previously Funded Research

Dian Yang, PhD

Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Research Project:

Investigating the molecular basis of cancer plasticity in LKB1-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Summary:

* This project was awarded the James B. Dougherty, MD Award for Scientific Merit acknowledging the investigator whose proposal was selected for outstanding overall merit by LCRF’s Scientific Advisory Board.

This project aims to understand how aggressive lung adenocarcinomas develop and how they adapt to treatment. LKB1-deficient tumors are a type of lung cancer that can adapt and resist treatment through a process called cell plasticity, in which cancer cells switch states to survive challenges. They will investigate how LKB1-deficient tumors influence this plasticity, focusing on a stage called the pre-EMT state, which may drive disease progression and drug resistance. Using advanced mouse models that closely mimic human tumors, the study aims to uncover the unique genetic mechanisms behind LKB1-deficient tumors. These findings could enhance our understanding of lung cancer and lead to new therapeutic strategies to target these aggressive tumors.