Lung Cancer SPORE

First funded in 2019, Winship's Lung Cancer SPORE seeks to improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer by addressing critical challenges and developing the next generation of treatment strategies. Supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute, the SPORE leverages Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University's strengths in basic science, translational research and clinical research to advance innovative, patient-focused discoveries.

The program brings together a multidisciplinary team of clinical oncologists, immunologists, computational scientists, drug discovery experts and translational researchers. Through a proven record of collaboration, these investigators work to answer critical questions and accelerate advances in lung cancer care. The program also includes Career Enhancement and Developmental Research programs that help foster the next generation of cancer researchers.

Building on the achievements of the previous funding period, the program aims to:

• Improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for lung cancer
• Use artificial intelligence to predict outcomes for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
• Develop novel therapeutic approaches that target a noncanonical mitochondrial signaling pathway involved in lung cancer metastasis

Building on discoveries published in leading scientific journals during the previous SPORE funding period, this highly collaborative team aims to achieve significant advances in the treatment of NSCLC through three translational projects:

• Project 1: Investigate novel inhibitory molecules selectively expressed by stem-like CD8 T cells and determine how they regulate stem-like cell function and interactions with myeloid cells in NSCLC. This aim also includes a clinical trial evaluating a novel combination immunotherapy approach for advanced NSCLC. Project co-leaders: Rafi Ahmed, PhD and Suresh Ramalingam, MD
• Project 2: Apply an innovative artificial intelligence-informed systems biology approach to predict outcomes in patients with stage III NSCLC, using data from a recently completed Phase III ECOG-ACRIN clinical trial. Project co-leaders: Anant Madanhushi, PhD and Ticiana Leal, MD
• Project 3: Evaluate the metabolic enzyme SUCLA2 as a novel therapeutic target for NSCLC. Project co-leaders: Sumin Kang, PhD and Conor Steuer, MD

The Lung Cancer SPORE is supported by three integrated cores:

• Administrative Core, co-led by Suresh Ramalingam, MD and Haian Fu, PhD
• Pathology Core, co-led by Gabriel Sica, MD, PhD and Jaishree Jagirdar, MBBS
• Biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics Core, co-led by Madhusmita Behera, PhD and Jeffrey Switchenko, PhD, MS

Guidance is provided by distinguished external and internal advisory board members, with additional input from patient advocates who help inform the program's direction and progress.

Through innovative, team-based research in immunotherapy, AI-driven biomarker discovery and targeted therapeutics, the Lung Cancer SPORE aims to make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients with lung cancer while collaborating with other National Cancer Institute-funded Lung Cancer SPORE programs nationwide.