Edward Garon, MD, of UCLA joins the LUNGevity Foundation Scientific Advisory Board

Brings expertise in clinical trials and other key areas to LUNGevity's research program

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Jan 13, 2017, 08:20 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's preeminent lung cancer research foundation, today announced that Edward Garon, MD, has joined LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board, a group of 19 world-renowned scientists and researchers who guide LUNGevity's scientific strategy and research program. The Scientific Advisory Board is integral to the Foundation, overseeing the scientific approach and ensuring that grants are awarded to the researchers whose proposals demonstrate the greatest potential for finding lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable phase, as well as extending and improving lives for lung cancer survivors.

Edward Garon, MD, newest member of LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Garon is Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

LUNGevity is the only lung cancer organization with programmatic focuses on early detection and Career Development Awards. LUNGevity-funded researchers are working on finding a better way to detect lung cancer, and to better diagnose, treat, and prevent its recurrence. The research program is a crucial factor in moving the science forward to improve outcomes for people living with lung cancer.

Dr. Garon is the Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has been the principal investigator of peer-reviewed grants from various funding organizations, including the National Cancer Institute. His focus is on clinical research and biomarker development. He has served as the principal investigator on national and international phase I, II, and III clinical trials. Among these are trials that have led to the approval of drugs for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, including ramucirumab (Cyramza®) and the immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda®).

"We are honored that Dr. Garon has joined our Scientific Advisory Board," said Andrea Ferris, President and Chairman of LUNGevity Foundation. "His expertise and advice will be invaluable to furthering LUNGevity's goal to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients."

For more information on LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

1 in 15 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
More than 224,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
Lung cancer takes more lives than the next four deadliest cancers (colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate) combined
Only 18% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it's caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation