Authors: Matthew Reiss, MSE, PhD, Manager, Precision Medicine & Navigation, GO2 for Lung Cancer and Courtney Granville, PhD, MSPH, Chief Scientific Officer, GO2 for Lung Cancer
Earlier this year, GO2 for Lung Cancer welcomed Courtney Granville, PhD, MSPH, as our new Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). We had a chance to catch up with Courtney to learn about her background, current role, and where she sees GO2 going in the future!
Can you tell us about your background before joining GO2?
Courtney Granville, PhD, MSPH, Chief Scientific Officer, GO2 for Lung Cancer
Cancer has left an indelible imprint on my life. I distinctly remember the night my father told me that my grandfather, his dad, a hardworking Navy veteran, had passed away from prostate cancer. I was 12 years old, and my grandparents had worked hard to afford retirement in Arizona and travel abroad, something they had not been able to do as young adults. I was devastated for them.
I first started working on cancer 7 years later in a laboratory at Yale Medical School the summer after my first year of college. This lab was translational, meaning we’d take findings from the lab and apply them directly to patients, which was novel in 1998. The head of our lab was a surgical pathologist, and our research primarily focused on KRAS-driven cancer and molecular diagnostics, which involves taking DNA or RNA (the genetic code found in our cells) and looking for markers of potential disease.
During my stint in the Yale lab, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 (IV) ovarian cancer and given 2 months to live. She lived 16 years, fighting every day for her life and one more day with her family. Through her fight, I experienced the challenges of treatment-related toxicity and side effects, navigating her preferences versus the standard of care, world-class physicians who no longer saw survival as an option for her, others who were willing to take a chance, and the power of being an advocate.
The challenges my mother faced drove my interest in learning more about how the environment could cause changes in the cells that might become targets to prevent or treat the disease. I went on to study source water contaminants (harmful chemicals that get into water) and high-volume chemicals at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, tobacco- and viral-related lung cancer at the National Cancer Institute, and a variety of industrial solvents, dietary supplements, tobacco products, and e-cigarettes in a contract-research setting.
How did you learn about the position and what was it about GO2 that sparked your interest?
Lung cancer is understudied, and the community of scientists and physician researchers is a small, dedicated, and fiercely passionate group. About 5 years ago, I transitioned away from the research bench to the nonprofit sector. First, I supported the development of a prize program for cancer researchers, and later, I led a research group at a membership organization.
My goal in moving to a nonprofit was to have a greater impact by leading collaborative, transformative research that could reach patients. GO2 provides the platform to continue leading research studies in partnership with best-in-class academic and industry experts while supporting patient education, driving transformative policy, and impacting quality healthcare in the communities that most need it.
Tell us about some exciting projects the GO2 Research Team is working on.
The GO2 Research Team is exceptionally talented and committed to improving the lives of those diagnosed with lung cancer and their loved ones. Our studies focus on all aspects of lung cancer care, including early detection, treatment, and survivorship. We do this through community-engaged and clinical research, Lung Cancer Registry studies, and precision medicine programs.
Community-engaged research
Our community-engaged research program is reducing lung cancer disparities in at-risk counties in the United States through targeted engagement, education, partnerships, and community-led initiatives, in addition to addressing environmental injustices. This work includes improving access to screening, providing education and resources in remote communities, and more.
GO2’s Lung Cancer Registry
The Lung Cancer Registry allows people to share their experiences with lung cancer through survey questions to improve care and treatment outcomes for the next generation. It also serves as a resource to the broader lung cancer research community.
Precision medicine programs
The core of the GO2 precision medicine program is the LungMATCH treatment and trial navigation program. Our in-house LungMATCH team provides one-on-one support with easy-to-understand information about comprehensive biomarker testing, treatment, and clinical trials. Our goal is to empower people and improve outcomes.
Clinical research
We conduct our clinical research studies in collaboration with the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), GO2’s medical consortium. Our most recent study on genetic risk factors for lung cancer, INHERIT, launched in April.
There’s a lot of excitement about the new INHERIT study. Can you tell us a little more about it?
The INHERIT study is the next phase in GO2’s ORIGINS initiative, focused on understanding and identifying inherited, biological, and environmental factors that put people at higher risk for lung cancer. GO2 is doing the study in partnership with ALCMI and the Dana Farber Medical Institute. We have previously conducted studies to look at the epidemiological factors (factors that contribute to disease) associated with lung cancer in young people and have identified a founder mutation, EGFR T790M, associated with non-smoking related lung cancers.
Building on this past research, INHERIT aims to discover new potential genes or gene variants linked to lung cancer risk. Additionally, we will follow participants with known genetic risk factors and a strong family history of lung cancer to better determine their risk of lung cancer and inform a screening program based on this risk.
What new directions would you like GO2 research to pursue going forward?
There are a lot of unmet needs in the lung cancer community and many outstanding questions about the cause and progression of the disease. GO2 Research aims to tackle areas that are most important to patients, can impact the greatest number of people, and generate evidence where little is known, especially with new and non-invasive approaches. For example, GO2 will continue looking for genes and variants linked to lung cancer risk.
A newer area of interest is digital technologies, such as sensors and wearables that track heart rate, breathing, and other metrics (body temperature, blood pressure, etc.). We use these productions to answer questions such as:
- What are the body metrics can we used to “prescreen” for lung cancer?
- How can real-world data collected via digital means be leveraged to better understand the onset of lung cancer and improve survivorship?
Most importantly, GO2 Research will continue to focus on identifying the areas that matter most to patients and generating evidence that focusing on these areas can improve survivorship and quality of life.
Let’s end with something lighthearted: What do you enjoy doing in your free time or for fun?
I love to play sports, exercise (especially outside), read historical fiction and memoirs, and cross-stitch. That said, I have 3 teenagers, so I spend most of my time outside of work as a taxi driver and superfan at their sporting and musical events.
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