The Lung Cancer Translational Center of Excellence—Thoracic Oncology Precision Program
Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil
Director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
“By investing in the Lung Cancer Translational Center of Excellence-Thoracic Oncology Precision Program at the Abramson Cancer Center, our partners incentivize our researchers to take bold directions, empowering discoveries that will reshape the face of lung cancer care for decades to come.”
— Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil
The Lung Cancer Translational Center of Excellence-Thoracic Oncology Precision Program (TCE-TOPP) at the Abramson Cancer Center has been transforming patient lives for over a decade through collaborative, immunotherapy-focused translational science. Thanks to philanthropy, our team has been empowered to uncover lifechanging advances, and our Thoracic Oncology Precision Program is positioned to even better understand and treat lung cancer by now focusing on precision medicine.
Using blood-based biomarkers to understand what’s happening inside a tumor — often before it shows up on scans — allows us to detect cancer recurrence earlier, monitor whether treatment is working, and adjust therapy in real time. With sustained research funding, we can personalize treatment for every patient, ensuring the right therapy is delivered at the right moment, with the best possible chance for cure or control.
The Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine offers unmatched depth in liquid biopsy research, translational oncology, and immunotherapy innovation. Under the leadership of Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, and Melina Marmarelis, MD, internationally recognized experts in plasma-based sequencing and precision therapeutics, and the dedicated support of Christiana Davis, MD, the TCE is uniquely equipped to deliver on its mission.
The future of lung cancer care will be precise, interconnected and deeply personal.
Despite major advances in lung cancer treatment, many patients still respond differently to the same therapies due to biological differences that traditional diagnostics often miss. The Lung Cancer TCE-TOPP aspires to address this gap and establish the Abramson Cancer Center as a global leader in biomarkerbased precision medicine for lung cancer. We envision a program that:
- Anchors treatment decisions in real-time molecular data
- Drives the development of biologically adaptive clinical trials
- Drives translational discovery through biospecimen collections
- Integrates liquid biopsy as a core component of care
MAKE AN IMPACT, ACCELERATE INNOVATION, AND BRING HOPE TO PATIENTS
By supporting the Lung Cancer TCE-TOPP, you help fuel innovation by enabling our researchers to move forward with “highrisk, high reward” projects, allowing our research to take off in less traditional directions and support innovative projects that might not yet be ready to secure sustaining funding from industry partnerships or federal grants. Among the numerous dynamic projects in the works are these three top priorities of the Lung Cancer TCE-TOPP:
- Using changes in molecular residual disease (MRD) to guide treatment
By using a blood test called MRD we can personalize treatment before and after surgery in early-stage lung cancer. If cancer traces remain, patients may join trials testing stronger treatments. By tracking blood and outcomes over time, we aim to understand relapse and resistance, enabling smarter, real-time treatment adjustments. - Identifying patients with lung cancer who are “high-risk”
We aim to create biologically based risk models that go beyond traditional staging. Using tools like ctDNA, methylation analysis, fragmentomics, and AI-powered tissue analysis, we can better detect disease and predict its behavior—enabling more precise, personalized treatments based on biology rather than just tumor size or appearance. - Looking at biomarkers to personalize treatment
When lung cancer spreads, we personalize treatment using biomarkers from blood, genes, and tumors. By analyzing ctDNA, we track cancer growth, treatment resistance, and response. This helps our physicians adjust therapies—combining drugs, reordering treatments, or scaling back—based on real-time biology, ensuring each patient gets the most effective care possible.
Michael's Story
Just one example of the power of biomarkers in transforming patient care is Michael Hu’s story.
Though he is not a smoker, Michael Hu was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that spread to his liver, pancreas, bones, and brain. Thanks to targeted drug therapy provided after advanced biomarker testing, Michael is able to look toward the future that lies ahead for his young family. His story was shared on CBS News Philadelphia. With generous partners, we can continue to make breakthroughs in research, advanced biomarker testing and sequencing to make new discoveries like those that led to Michael’s targeted drug therapy.
Welcome to the 2023 Lung Cancer TCE Retreat
Presenters: Corey J. Langer, MD, Melina Marmarelis, MD, Cole Friedes, MD, David Cantor, MD, Sokratis Apostolides, MD, Charu Aggarwal, MD, Gerald P. Linette, MD, PHD, Andrew Haas, MD, PhD, Patrick Forde, M.B.B.Ch, Jarrod Predina, MD, MTR, Sunil Singhal, MD, Despina Kontos, Ph.D, Sharyn Katz, MD, Jeffrey Thompson, MD, and Nilam Mangalmurti, MD.