Press Release
Oct 19, 2020
Today, the four founding partners of the Lung Ambition Alliance (LAA), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), Guardant Health, the Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC) and AstraZeneca, announced the addition of five new project partners to the LAA, further strengthening this unique partnership with the bold ambition of eliminating lung cancer as a cause of death.
Joining the Lung Ambition Alliance as project partners are Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Merck and Novartis.
“Working together, we will have a greater impact on the future of lung cancer research, treatment and care,” said Dr. Chandra Belani, Chief Science Officer of the IASLC. “These five new partners will make the Alliance even stronger.”
The overall goal of the Alliance is to double five-year survival for patients with lung cancer by 2025 through three pillars: increasing screening and early diagnosis, delivering innovative medicine and improving the quality of care for people with lung cancer.
Two important projects are accelerated through LAA’s five new project partners:
The Major Pathologic Response Project is a collection of clinical trial data and research that can be used to validate surrogate endpoints and identify predictive biomarkers, which may enable better targeting of tumor characteristics. It aims to accelerate development of the next generation of targeted treatments and drive the shift to earlier intervention when there is greater potential for a cure.
COVID-19 and Lung Cancer Junior Faculty Grants: Given the immediate need for more quality data concerning COVID-19 and lung cancer and a better understanding of how the virus affects patients with lung cancer, the LAA and its project partners made grants available to fund ground-breaking research related to patients with lung cancer infected with COVID-19.
In addition to these projects, the LAA also has flagship projects including:
• The Early Lung Imaging Confederation (ELIC) is a new, cloud-based worldwide screening database designed to accelerate improvements in the multidisciplinary detection and management of early-stage lung cancer. The project capitalizes on growing evidence that CT screening can lead to reduced mortality. This collection of images and data can be used to build better risk models, as well as analysis and detection tools, while serving as a global standard for data quality.
• Staging: Over the past two decades, the IASLC Staging Project has produced evidence-based recommendations for the TNM Classification for Thoracic Cancers. With the support of the Alliance, the project is now entering the third cycle, with the goal of developing recommendations for the 9th edition of TNM. New data elements such as genetic biomarkers, protein alterations and copy number alterations will be added to the staging project for the first time, and such additions and enhancements to the system may significantly improve the current staging system, leading to more precise treatment decisions and improvement in patient survival.
• Initiatives in Lung Cancer Care (ILC2) an is open call inviting local patient organizations around the world to develop and submit pilot projects that can potentially transform patient care and improve survival at the local level. This initiative aims to help the local lung cancer community benefit from multidisciplinary best practices, educate patients about their options and provide quality-of-life support to patients throughout and following treatment. The first round of grants was funded in 2020 with a second call expected in Winter 2020-2021.
“The momentum of the Lung Ambition Alliance during a pandemic is important and we are grateful for the collaboration of Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, Genentech, Merck and Novartis as they join the Alliance,” added Dr. Belani. “The LAA will continue to expand with more projects and more partners as we proceed in our efforts to conquer thoracic cancers worldwide.”
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About the Lung Ambition Alliance
The Lung Ambition Alliance is a flagship partnership of diverse organizations united in the quest to eliminate lung cancer as a cause of death. The Alliance aims to accelerate progress and bring meaningful change for lung cancer patients by amplifying the expertise of each partner and prioritizing meaningful projects with potential to further its goal. The founding partners – the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), Guardant Health, the Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC) and AstraZeneca – are committed to explore and overcome barriers to screening and early diagnosis, the development of innovative medicine and quality care, and pursue an ambitious vision for the future in lung cancer that starts with doubling five-year survival by 2025.
For more information, visit www.lungambitionalliance.org.
About the Founding Partners
• The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, with a global network of nearly 9,000 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in more than 100 countries.
• The Global Lung Cancer Coalition is the international voice of lung cancer patients and is committed to patient advocacy.
• Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on helping conquer cancer globally through use of its proprietary blood tests, vast data sets and advanced analytics.
• AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines.