Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer-related death in Florida, and an estimated 17,150 Florida patients will receive a new diagnosis of lung and bronchus cancer this year.1
Through a James & Esther King 2009 New Investigator Research Grant, Dr. Matthew Schabath at the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute is leading a team to improve lung cancer survival by tailoring medicine to patients based on the genetics of both the tumor and the patient.
“We are finding that lung cancer survival is influenced by the patient’s own genes and that some patients respond to treatment options depending on genetic changes in their tumor. This means we cannot treat all patients identically,
the disease is too complex. This represents a new approach to lung cancer treatment, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface,” explained Dr. Schabath.
“All the progress we’ve been able to make in understanding the genetics of lung cancer survival came about because of my King New Investigator Grant. We used grant funds to hire staff, recruit patients, and analyze data.”
“The Program is providing extremely valuable research towards one of the deadliest diseases in Florida. It has personally benefited my career and been a job creator. We have generated a great amount of data, kept people employed, and hired people. There probably would not have been other funding sources for this grant. The King Program was the perfect mechanism for it.”
King Grant Launches New Career and International Collaborations
“I have just begun collaborating with scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France, Germany, Japan, and Chile as well as the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. The genesis of all this really started with my King grant; it got me up and running and involved in groundbreaking research at Moffitt as well,” noted Dr. Schabath.
When Program Grantees publish and present cutting-edge research, Florida becomes known as a good place to do research, in turn drawing new talent and resources to the state.
To date, Dr. Schabath has acquired $4.3 million in grant funding either directly or indirectly related to his King Grant. He was invited to present the results of this research at the International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research.
“Moffitt researchers used the King and Bankhead-Coley Programs as a big selling point to recruit me from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Two or three people pulled up the Program website during my interview. The Programs are extremely important to Moffitt and our researchers in bringing new research talent to the state.”
Investing in Florida’s Research Talent
For new researchers, grants require a mentoring component, “a relationship that exceeded my expectations,” Dr. Schabath explained. “My mentor, Dr. Anna Giuliano, and I are now working in each other’s fields, and combined our expertise in acquiring a new grant examining human papillomavirus (HPV) in lung cancer. We have compelling findings, and international collaborations are forming around this work.”
For grant staff, training has expanded their skills and made them valuable assets to this team. “My data analyst had no experience in genetic analysis. He has completely flourished in this area and is becoming an expert. My study coordinator, with no background in lung cancer, has gained valuable experience interviewing lung cancer patients, collecting data, and keeping the project running smoothly.”
For a relatively modest amount, the state has received a “big bang for its buck” by investing in meritorious research grants that are launching biomedical research teams in Florida dedicated to improving human health.
1Cancer Facts & Figures 2011, American Cancer Society, p. 5. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-029771.pdf 
