RESEARCH GRANT WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE INAUGURAL LUNG AMBITION AWARDS
$100,000 CAD to be awarded to help improve key gaps in lung cancer care
TORONTO, June 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Lung Cancer Canada, the Lung Ambition Alliance and AstraZeneca Canada are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Lung Ambition Awards, a Canadian-based lung cancer research awards program designed to support research that will help address key gaps in lung cancer care, drive meaningful improvements to the patient pathway and make the lives of people living with lung cancer better.
This year, grants of $50,000 each have been awarded to the following research projects:
- Anna L. McGuire MD, MSc, FRCSC, is leading a team at Vancouver General Hospital to advance lung cancer screening. To help better understand risk factors related to lung cancer in non-smokers and improve screening programs, the team will explore the effect of high levels of air pollution exposure on lung age and EGFR mutation. Results of this research could play a role in identifying non-smokers for lung cancer screening, which could ultimately help detect lung cancers earlier.
- Alison Wallace MD, PhD, FRCSC, Dalhousie University, is leading research to improve patients' quality of life related to lung cancer surgery. When people have fewer surgery-related complications, they spend less time in hospital, respond better to treatments and overall experience a better quality of life. With the goal of improving post-surgery outcomes for women with lung cancer, a nation-wide retrospective cohort study of approximately 15,000 patients from across Canada will examine the differences in perioperative profiles between women and men who have lung cancer surgery. The purpose of this study is to discover the factors that can help predict problems after surgery and how these may be different between men and women. The results from this study will help to create better treatment plans for patients with lung cancer with the goal of improving their quality of life and survival.
"For 20 years, Lung Cancer Canada has been on the frontlines supporting patients and their families, delivering education programs, and advocating for health-system change," said Dr. Stephanie Snow, medical oncologist and President of the Lung Cancer Canada Board of Directors. "We know research – and especially research with the potential to improve patient outcomes – is a priority for our community and we are thrilled to support these projects."
Lung cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in Canada (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) and is the leading cause of death from cancer in this country.i In Canada, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 22% - significantly lower than prostate (91%), breast (89%) and colorectal (67%) cancers.ii Despite its devastating impact, on average lung cancer receives a small fraction of the research dollars of other cancers, in part due to stigma that compromises fundraising efforts.iii
In its inaugural year, the Lung Ambition Awards received 33 applications from research teams across Canada. All submissions were reviewed and adjudicated solely by Lung Cancer Canada's Research Committee. The winners were chosen based on scientific merit, feasibility, alignment to the award criteria and relevance to the Canadian lung cancer community. To support the awards, AstraZeneca Canada has committed $100,000 per year for three years.
"We are proud to support research that is addressing frontline gaps in care related to lung cancer," said Marc Zarenda, Therapeutic Area Lead, Lung Cancer, AstraZeneca Canada. "To achieve our bold ambition of eliminating lung cancer as a cause of death, we need to collaborate with likeminded partners, look at all aspects of healthcare to identify and address gaps in care, and commit to making long-term improvements across the healthcare system. That's how we can achieve change together."
The Lung Ambition Awards, a joint initiative between Lung Cancer Canada, The Lung Ambition Alliance and AstraZeneca Canada, is a Canadian-based lung cancer research awards program designed to help improve the lives of people living with lung cancer. The Lung Ambition Awards will award two to three research grants per year, with a maximum award of $50,000 CAD each.
Awards are granted to research work being done to improve patient care in any of the following areas:
- Enhancing early detection – including research into methodologies like screening, incidental pulmonary nodules and blood-based testing, particularly for those individuals not meeting current screening criteria
- Improving the timeliness and/or coordination of care – including ways in which institutions or healthcare systems can improve care along the patient pathway
- Addressing disparities to improve equity – including identification of systemic barriers and ways to overcome them
- Lung Cancer Canada is a registered national charity that serves as Canada's leading resource for lung cancer education, patient support, research and advocacy. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Lung Cancer Canada has a wide reach that includes both regional and pan-Canadian initiatives. Lung Cancer Canada is a member of the Global Lung Cancer Coalition and is the only national organization in Canada focused exclusively on lung cancer. www.lungcancercanada.ca
- The Lung Ambition Alliance is a global coalition, with cross-discipline partners in more than 50 countries dedicated to accelerating innovation and driving meaningful improvements for people with lung cancer. With the bold ambition to one day eliminate cancer as a cause of death, the Alliance is focused on three core areas: increasing screening & diagnosis; delivering innovative medicine; and enhancing the quality of care for lung cancer patients. www.lungambitionalliance.com
- AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business whose innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. The company's core areas of scientific focus are Oncology; Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic (CVRM); Rare Disease; Respiratory & Immunology; and Vaccine & Immune Therapies. AstraZeneca employs more than 1,300 people across Canada and recently announced a major expansion of its research footprint in Canada – including the expansion of its existing AstraZeneca R&D Hub and the creation of a new Alexion Development Hub for Rare Diseases.
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i Lung Cancer Canada, 2022 Hard facts infographic, available online at: https://www.lungcancercanada.ca/en-CA/Resources/The-Hard-Facts-Poster.aspx |
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ii Lung Cancer Canada, 2022 Hard facts infographic, available online at: https://www.lungcancercanada.ca/en-CA/Resources/The-Hard-Facts-Poster.aspx |
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iii Kamath, Suneel D, et al. "Comparison of Cancer Burden and Nonprofit Organization Funding Reveals Disparities in Funding Across Cancer Types." Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 July 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31319386. https://www.lungcancercanada.ca/Lung-Cancer/La-Stigmatisation.aspx#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20a%20study%20comparing,stigma%20negatively%20impacts%20funding%E2%80%9D1. |
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SOURCE Lung Cancer Canada
about the Lung Ambition Awards, visit https://www.lccresearch.ca/ or contact Winky Yau, Coordinator of Medical Affairs at Lung Cancer Canada at [email protected].
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