Dr. Shiqin Liu, assistant adjunct professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was awarded the Lung Cancer Concept Award from the Department of Defense to create new immune-based treatments for small-cell lung cancer, a highly aggressive form of lung cancer with limited treatment options.
While initial treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy often show promise managing the disease, they typically extend survival by only a few months. The cancer frequently returns with greater resistance, leaving patients with few options and a grim prognosis.
The award will support Liu’s efforts to develop a novel targeted immunotherapy for small-cell lung cancer. Liu is designing T cells engineered to target UCH-L1, a protein found at high levels in these tumors that plays a key role in helping the cancer grow and spread. The study will then test these engineered T cells to see how well they can find and kill cancer cells in preclinical models.
“This grant allows us to take a big step forward in developing a much-needed new treatment for small-cell lung cancer,” said Liu, who is a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “By targeting UCH-L1, we hope to develop a therapy that expands treatment options and improves outcomes for patients with lung cancer.”
The Lung Cancer Concept Award funds groundbreaking, high-risk, high-reward research that introduces innovative ideas, technologies, or approaches to lung cancer. This award supports early-stage studies designed to offer fresh insights or set the stage for future scientific breakthroughs.
