SACRAMENTO, Calif. - nvtip -- The ROS1ders announced the recipient of the 2024 Eunice and Milton Ring Grant for ROS1 Cancer Research. Funding for this grant is provided by Eunice and Milton Ring, whose daughter Karen Ring Weiss is a member of the ROS1+ cancer community.

The 2024 award was granted to Anthony Iafrate, MD, Ph.D, Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Iafrate's team is seeking new approaches to targeting ROS1+ fusion cancers that can overcome acquired resistance to current targeted therapies. They aim to identify regions of ROS1 fusion proteins that can be attacked with covalent inhibitors, which may lead to new treatments.

"Patient advocacy calls attention to the need for research about specific cancer biomarkers," says Eunice Ring. "Because ROS1+ cancer is rare, patients and their families must provide leadership in research focused on their cancer. We are very pleased to support Dr. Iafrate's team."

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This grant is the third in a series of seed grants focused on ROS1+ cancers. Janet Freeman-Daily, co-founder and president of the ROS1ders, says "Our ROS1+ cancer community is grateful that biomarker testing and targeted therapy have added years to so many lives. However, the currently approved drugs don't work well for everyone. We hope our seed grants will generate findings that lead to larger research efforts and better outcomes."

About the ROS1ders

Founded by patients, The ROS1ders is the largest global group of patients and family members living with ROS1+ cancer. It seeks to improve outcomes for all ROS1+ cancers through community, education, and research. Membership in their private Facebook group exceeds 1,100 people from over 30 countries. The nonprofit is internationally recognized in the oncology and patient advocacy communities as experts in their disease. Its resources include a medically-vetted website and collaboration with international ROS1+ clinicians, researchers and industry. Please visit theros1ders.org to learn more.

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About ROS1+ Cancer

• ROS1+ cancer is relatively rare, occurring in just 1-2% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The incidence is thought to be similar in other types of cancer.
• Biomarker testing for ROS1 fusions is recommended in guidelines for non-small cell lung cancer, but currently for few other cancers.
• Patients are typically younger than the average NSCLC patient, have adenocarcinoma, and have no smoking history (a smoking history should not exclude patients from biomarker testing or targeted therapies).
• Oral targeted therapies are the recommended first-line treatment for metastatic ROS1+NSCLC and have increased the survival of patients by years. However, these drugs eventually stop working due to acquired resistance. The mechanisms of resistance are not well understood.