Project 2 | Judith Tam ALK Lung Cancer Research Initiative

• ALK+ lung cancer is often treatable but incurable at time of diagnosis. The short-term goal of this project is to characterize the earliest cellular and molecular changes that occur in the lung epithelium upon ALK mutation with the longer-term goal to use these insights to guide strategies for early detection, intervention, disruption of cancer progression, and ultimately to cure patients with ALK+ lung cancer.
• Limited access to early-stage ALK+ patient samples has prevented its study. The reason for this is two-fold: (1) The disease is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage after metastasis has already occurred. (2) Sequencing of cancer-causing mutations is not performed for early-stage lung cancer given that it does not generally change clinical management.
• Through the Judith Tam ALK Lung Cancer Research Initiative, we have been able to access and analyze two rare early-stage ALK+ patient samples. However, there is a need to complement the data generated from these samples with alternative approaches. We are therefore modeling the process by which a normal stem cell acquires the ALK translocation both in stem cell cultures (organoids) and in the mouse to answer questions regarding cell of origin, the effect of ALK on cell state and plasticity, and the role of candidate downstream pathways in tumor initiation.

Project 2 benefits greatly from its strong partnership Drs. Young Tae Kim and Kwon Joong Na at Seoul National University who are not only renowned lung cancer researchers but also valued friends and generous, thoughtful, and passionate collaborators. We are lucky to work with them and appreciate the warmth, expertise, and careful insight that Drs. Kim and Na bring to our international effort to understand the origins and evolution of ALK+ lung cancer. 

Learn more about:

• Dr. Young Tae Kim
• Dr. Kwon Joong Na
• Lab site