Lung Cancer Research Awards

Learn More: A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation Research Program

• Meet ABOH Research Committee

• Read about ABOH Research Award Winners

• Meet ABOH National Scientific Advisory Council

• Read about awards named for lung cancer patients: Julie Swedberg and Peg Fisher-Jullie

Name a Research Award ($150,000 Gift)

Lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined, yet lung cancer research receives disproportionately less funding per cancer death than other types of cancer. Most of the proposals submitted to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and scored as ‘excellent’ do not get funded due to lack of funding. This means that private funding for research focused on lung cancer is vital to saving lives.

A Breath of Hope’s Lung Cancer Research Awards invest in translational research and early career lung cancer researchers. Each grant in the amount of $150,000 drives better treatments and earlier detection. 

For $150,000, you can name an A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation national research award in honor or memory of a loved one. ABOH’s Research Committee will conduct all aspects of reviewing and awarding proposals. For more information about Named Research Awards and Circle of Light Giving Circles, contact Teri Cannon at . 

Lung Cancer Facts: Your Impact

Approximately 60% of new cases are nonsmokers, either never-smokers or former smokers, many of whom quit decades ago. One in five women and one in twelve men diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.

Approximately 150,000 Americans die annually from lung cancer. 226,650 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year, primarily in stages 3 or 4 when it’s hardest to treat. Screening for lung cancer is imperative to changing these statistics, yet screening rates are only at 16.4% for eligible adults.

Biomarker testing, primarily for NSCLC patients, plays a crucial role in identifying genetic mutations that enable the use of targeted therapies, thus improving survival rates. However, only 26% of eligible white patients and 14% of eligible black patients in Minnesota receive biomarker testing, significantly increasing their mortality rate by 27%. 

Lung cancer is responsible for more than 25% of all cancer deaths, but only receives 9% of all cancer research funding. The Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) recently slashed lung cancer research funding to $0. 

Per cancer death and its burden on society, lung cancer receives fewer research dollars than other common cancers. Lack of funding is a significant barrier that drives talented young researchers away from lung cancer. Without adequate financial support, these promising scientists face limited opportunities to conduct the groundbreaking research necessary to improve detection, treatment, and survival rates for lung cancer patients. 

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Past Early Career Research Awards

2024 ABOH Peg’s Fight for Life $150,000 Award Recipient: DR. LINDSAY LAFAVE of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine

2024 ABOH Julie Swedberg YOLO Research $150,000 Award Recipient: DR. JESSICA KONEN of The Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

2023 ABOH Peg’s Fight for Life $150,000 Award Recipient: DR. ANASTASIOS DIMOU of The Mayo Clinic.

2022 ABOH Peg’s Fight for Life $150,000: DR. JAIME SCHNEIDER of Massachusetts General Hospital.

2021 ABOH Peg’s Fight for Life $150,000 Award Recipient: DR. KIPP WEISKOPF from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

2020 A Breath of Hope Fellow: DR. ESRA AKBAY of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center received the Katherine Bensen Hope Award of $150,000.

2018 A Breath of Hope Fellow: DR. STEFANI SPRANGER, (MIT), received a $150,000 A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation research award.

2017 Women & Lung Cancer Research Award Recipients: DRS. LAURA STABILE AND TIMOTHY BURNS, (University of Pittsburgh), received the Tona Vives Women and Lung Cancer Award of $150,000.

2016 A Breath of Hope Fellow: DR. JUN-CHIEH (JAMES) TSAY, (NYU), received the Larry Benjamin Early Detection Award of $150,000.

2014 A Breath of Hope Fellow: DR. KAMESH BIKKAVILLI University of Illinois. Award of $150,000.

2014 A Breath of Hope Fellow: DR. MANISH PATEL University of Minnesota Award of $150,000.