American Lung Association Invests in Next Generation of Scientists Advancing Lung Health

The American Lung Association Research Institute today announced that it awarded nine early career researchers with the Catalyst Research Award for their projects to improve the lives of people living with lung disease and lung cancer.

The Catalyst Award is a mentored grant providing $50,000 per year for up to two years to promising early career researchers working to advance understanding of lung biology and disease. Funding supports innovative, multidisciplinary projects that explore the mechanisms of lung disease and general lung biology, with the goal of driving new discoveries that can improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for millions of people in the U.S. with lung disease and lung cancer.

As the program enters another year of innovation, the impact of the Catalyst Award is evident in past award recipient achievements. One such example is Priyadharshini Devarajan, PhD, a researcher from the Chan Medical School at the University of Massachusetts, who received a Catalyst Award in 2023. Shortly after receiving the grant, she was awarded a National Institutes of Health grant and secured a tenure-track faculty position to launch her independent research program at Stony Brook University in New York. She attributes her success, in part, to the funding she received from the American Lung Association.

“Our Catalyst Award empowers early career scientists to take bold steps, explore innovative ideas and develop the expertise needed to become future leaders in lung health research. Supporting these talented investigators is essential to uncovering the next major breakthroughs in preventing and treating lung disease,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “The award reflects the Lung Association’s long-standing commitment to investing in the next generation of researchers who are shaping the future of lung health.”

Through the Lung Association’s Awards and Grants Program, the organization awarded nine early career researchers with the Catalyst Award this year. Three recent grantees include:

• Yukiko Kunitomo, MD, MHS (Johns Hopkins University): Many people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) also have other conditions that could be treated to improve outcomes. One common, treatable comorbidity is iron deficiency, which can affect how the body functions even without anemia. This research will examine whether people with COPD who are iron deficient have worse symptoms, reduced exercise capacity or less improvement with pulmonary rehabilitation. The findings will help determine whether a trial of iron deficiency treatment in COPD is warranted.
• Nairrita Majumder, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles): Each year, one million people in the U.S. are hospitalized with bacterial pneumonia and treated with oxygen and antibiotics, which can cause further lung damage. Dr. Majumder discovered that pharmacological activation of certain potassium channels in the lung, called TREK-1 channels, appears to protect against bacterial pneumonia and the damaging effects of oxygen therapy using mouse and human cell culture models.  This study explores a new approach aimed at limiting lung injury.
• Luciana Padua Tavares, PhD (Brigham and Women’s Hospital): Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening lung condition with few effective treatments. Dr. Tavares will investigate how the body’s own defenses—especially certain neutrophils that communicate with macrophages—can help heal the lungs. She and her team have identified a unique subset of neutrophils that produce healing molecules called Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators (SPMs) using the enzyme 15-lipoxygenase. This research aims to contribute to new treatments harnessing natural healing mechanisms by targeting specific neutrophil subsets to promote lung injury resolution.

In addition to providing critical funding, the Catalyst Award emphasizes mentorship and collaboration. Each awardee works closely with an established researcher who has a demonstrated record of lung disease research and mentoring, helping to ensure a strong foundation for future success.

The American Lung Association is currently accepting applications for its 2026–2027 research awards and grants cycle. For details about current funding opportunities, visit Lung.org/awards. To learn more about the newly funded researchers and the full American Lung Association Research Team, visit Lung.org/research-team.