Protect Your Lungs, LUNGevity Foundation announce merger

To combat the nation's number one cancer killer, non-profit organizations Protect Your Lungs and LUNGevity Foundation today announced they will join forces in an effort to fund research and hope for a cure for lung cancer. Together, the new organization hopes to create the same successful improvements for lung cancer mortality rates as those experienced by breast, prostate, and colon cancer. The merged organization, committed to elevating lung cancer on the national agenda, will operate under the name LUNGevity Foundation with offices in Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

“Together, we will achieve our vision to be an organization that will make meaningful gains in the fight to improve lung cancer survival rates.”

LUNGevity Foundation seeks to have a meaningful and immediate impact on improving survival rates in lung cancer and to ensure a higher quality of life post-diagnosis for lung cancer patients by funding research into the early detection and successful treatment of the disease. The organization will be led by President and Chairman of the Board Andrea Stern Ferris, former executive director of Protect Your Lungs. Beth Ida Stern (no relation) of LUNGevity will serve as executive director.

"The alignment of LUNGevity Foundation with Protect Your Lungs offers hope to countless thousands of individuals and families whose lives have been turned upside down by lung cancer. The passion, energy, and commitment of LUNGevity is an extraordinary asset, and together we will ask the nation to join us in the battle against lung cancer," said Andrea Stern Ferris, president of LUNGevity. "There is exciting research underway that promises to change the way lung cancer is viewed and treated. We intend to fund that research and make detecting and treating lung cancer first a compelling national priority and then a success story."

Protect Your Lungs was formed by the Stern family of Potomac, Md. in December 2008 following the death of Patricia Stern. The family's grief translated into the desire to do something for others battling lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation was founded by seven Chicago-area lung cancer patients who joined together in 2000 with a common goal - to increase funding for lung cancer research. Sadly, only one of the original seven founders survives today.

"Together, we have the premier lung cancer researchers and clinicians, the largest and strongest national grassroots constituency, and the best expertise in our board of directors and staff. The complements between the organizations make the merger a match made in heaven," said Beth Ida Stern, executive director of LUNGevity. "Together, we will achieve our vision to be an organization that will make meaningful gains in the fight to improve lung cancer survival rates."

In conjunction with the merger, LUNGevity will shortly announce a campaign to "Stop Lung Cancer Now" with the goal to reduce lung cancer deaths by 50 percent.

"There really is hope for lung cancer patients and their families," said Jerry Sorkin, vice chairman of LUNGevity's board of directors. "As a lung cancer survivor, I am thrilled about this merger. We are going to fund more research, create more hope, improve and save more lives. There have been advances in research and many new treatments are available now with others in development. The findings released at ASCO this month showing the effect of a new drug on advanced lung cancer patients who have the gene mutation 'ALK' are a perfect example. LUNGevity has always been about finding, creating and sharing hope, and the newly merged organization will have an even greater impact on lung cancer."

LUNGevity Foundation will fund lung cancer research through a peer reviewed research process. Its Scientific Advisory Board meets annually to discuss research strategy, share new scientific developments, oversee awarded grant projects, review grant proposals, and determine funding of new grants. LUNGevity will issue two requests for grant applicants each year, one supporting research for the early detection of lung cancer and the other for therapeutic agents that are effective in all stages of the disease. The first of these early detection grants were awarded through Protect Your Lungs to Dr. Steven M. Dubinett and Dr. Kostyantyn Krysan from UCLA and Dr. Samir Hanash, Dr. Gary Goodman, and Dr. Christopher Li from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. To learn more about research grants awarded by LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.lungevity.org/research.