Grant: Project Grant

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death. More people die from lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined. Recently, immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment for lung cancer and given hope to many patients. However, most people actually do not respond to this type of therapy. We don't fully understand why but there are some key factors that correlate with response, including obesity and the composition of the gut microbiome. Both are controlled by diet. This proposal will comprehensively dissect the contribution of these factors influencing immunotherapy efficacy. Understanding the immune landscape of lung tumors is vital to understanding how immunotherapy works. Our proposal will help us understand why some patients have dramatic responses to immunotherapy and why others do not respond at all. These efforts will not only allow us to improve our understanding of immunotherapy response but will help develop strategies to boost immunotherapy efficacy.