8 New York State Researchers Awarded American Lung Association Grants and Receive a Total Potential Investment of $1.5M Over Two Years to Study Lung Diseases

Today, the American Lung Association Research Institute announced it awarded $13.6 million in research grants to fund 129 innovative projects to advance today’s science to end lung disease tomorrow, including 8 projects from the Empire State.

New York area researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, The Rockefeller University, Health Research, Inc at New York State Department of Health, and Trustees of Columbia University in City of New York received 8 awards, totaling an investment of $750,000 in FY24, with opportunities for renewals in FY25, bringing the grand total to $1.5M over two years.

“We are honored to welcome this year’s awardees to the elite American Lung Association Research Institute and our efforts to fundamentally transform lung health here in New York and across the nation,” said Erica Masin, Executive Director at the Lung Association. “Our research investment is key to unlocking solutions to alleviate the burden of lung disease. The Lung Association’s Awards and Grants Program promotes innovative research, collaboration, translation of discoveries, and scientific exchange to transform today’s science into tomorrow’s solutions. Because when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.”

Lung research is critical because over 3.8 million people in New York are living with lung disease and each year, millions more  are impacted by respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and influenza. Through the Awards and Grants Program, the Lung Association supports trailblazing research, novel ideas and innovative approaches. The funded researchers investigate a wide range of lung health topics, including asthma, COPD, lung cancer, COVID-19 and other infectious lung diseases.

New York awards went to:

• Alvaro Quintanal-Villalonga, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center- Lung Cancer Discovery Award 
• Hasina Outtz-Reed – Weill Medical College of Cornell University - Innovation Award studying COPD 
• Jean-Laurent Casanova, The Rockefeller University - COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award
• Jon E. Paczkowski, Health Research Inc, NYDOH – Innovation Award researching Asthma, COPD, lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis
• Swarnali Acharyya, the Trustees of Columbia University in City of New York – Lung Cancer Discovery Award
• Teresa Allende-Aydillo Gomez, Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai – COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award 
• Lucas Ferrari De Andrade, Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai– Lung Cancer Discovery Award 
• Jaime Hook, Icahn School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai – COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award

Project descriptions and headshots at links above.

Quotes and interviews with researchers and lung association experts available by request.

This year, awards were given in different categories addressing many aspects of lung disease; ALA/AAAAI Allergic Respiratory Diseases Award, ALA/ATS/CHEST Foundation Respiratory Health Equity Research Award, Catalyst Award, COVID-19 Respiratory Virus Research Award, Dalsemer Award, Innovation Award and Lung Cancer Discovery Award. Research projects funded by the Lung Association are carefully selected through rigorous scientific peer review and awardees investigate a wide range of complex issues.

The Lung Association’s Research Institute includes the Awards and Grants program, and also the Airways Clinical Research Network, the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD treatment research. The Lung Association is currently accepting applications for its 2024-2025 research awards and grants cycle. For more information about the active research funding opportunities, visit Lung.org/awards.

For more information about the new grant awardees and the entire American Lung Association Research Team, visit Lung.org/research-team.