HSCI Executive Committee member Carla Kim is a recipient of the Lung Cancer Discovery Award from the American Lung Association. The award recognizes Kim’s innovative lung cancer research that has the potential to improve patient care and help save lives.

“As our nation faces COVID-19, we have not only witnessed its toll on our health, but we have also seen how air pollution, existing lung diseases like asthma and COPD and even wildfire smoke has impacted the health outcomes of those facing COVID-19,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. “With an eye always toward saving more lives, the American Lung Association has consistently funded promising lung health research over the decades from leading scientific minds. We’re proud to expand our network in search of bold solutions for COVID-19 as well as methods to improve the lung health and lives of all Americans, including those living with lung disease.”

Kim’s research uses lung organoids — 3D cultures derived from stem cells — to model the earliest stages of lung cancer. Shedding light on early changes in tumor cells will lead to a better understanding of lung cancer biology, and will help identify new targets for cancer prevention and treatment — potentially reducing lengthy periods of trial-and-error treatment testing in patients.

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Read the full award announcement from the American Lung Association.