Each year, LUNGevity convenes current research awardees, patient advocates, and its Scientific Advisory Board for a Fall Science Meeting to foster dialogue, build collaborations, and strengthen the research community (1). Dr. Hilary Hammell, DO, attended on behalf of RETpositive.
RET‑relevant highlights
1) Immunogenic peptide–primed dendritic cells for RET‑positive cancer
Presenter: Amy Cummings, MD, PhD (UCLA)
Dr. Cummings shared progress on an approach that uses bioengineered dendritic cells to “teach” a patient’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells carrying mutated RET proteins. The strategy could be paired with FDA‑approved immunotherapies—which have historically shown limited benefit in many RET‑driven cancers—to deliver a potential “one‑two punch” against RET‑positive tumors (2).
Why this matters:
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RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can deliver prolonged progression‑free survival, but resistance often emerges over time.
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Immune‑based approaches that directly target RET‑driven biology may offer more durable responses or work synergistically with existing treatments.
This research is ongoing. Special thanks to the Hamoui Foundation and LUNGevity for funding and collaboration on this important work (3).
2) Novel protein degraders for RET‑positive cancers
Presenter: Justin Drake, PhD (Professor of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota)
Dr. Drake provided updates on his grant, “Novel Protein Degrader for Treating RET‑Positive Cancers.” Protein degraders are an emerging class of drugs that selectively tag disease‑causing proteins for disposal by the cell’s own machinery. In RET‑altered cancers, selective RET TKIs work by blocking overactive RET signaling. Degraders offer a complementary strategy: they eliminate the RET protein itself.
Why this matters:
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Two complementary toolkits: TKIs inhibit; degraders remove.
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Potential to reduce resistance: By clearing the target rather than just blocking it, degraders may make it harder for cancer cells to route around RET.
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Tolerability upside: Highly selective degraders could help minimize off‑target effects and support longer treatment durability.
Dr. Drake shared progress on preclinical compounds; his work continues thanks to the generosity of the RET community and a partnership with LUNGevity (4).
What this means for our community
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More shots on goal: Combining or sequencing immune‑priming strategies with RET‑targeted TKIs—and, eventually, protein degraders—could expand options when resistance occurs.
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Still early, but encouraging: Both programs are preclinical/early‑stage; clinical trials will be needed to determine safety and benefit for patients.
RETpositive will continue to track these efforts and share opportunities to participate or support as they arise.
1. https://www.lungevity.org/learn-about-lungevity/scientific-research/impact-of-lungevity-research/fall-science-meeting
2. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/dr-amy-cummings-receives-award-advance-lung-cancer-research
3.https://www.lungevity.org/news/media-releases/amy-cummings-md-phd-and-romel-somwar-phd-honored-as-recipients-of-hamoui
4. https://www.lungevity.org/blogs/promise-of-protacs-for-treating-ret-lung-cancer