ALCMI is a patient-centric, international research consortium driving research otherwise not possible, such as current clinical studies, CASTLE, INHERIT (T790M), and Genomics of Young Lung Cancer. ALCMI overcomes barriers to collaboration via a world-class team of investigators from 20+ institutions in the U.S. and Europe, supported by dedicated research infrastructures such as centralized tissue banks and data systems. ALCMI directly facilitates research by combining scientific expertise found at leading academic institutions with patient access through our network of community cancer centers – accelerating novel research advancements to Lung Cancer patients.

Our question:

“If money for research and development was not a barrier and a true collaboration could be achieved, what would you do to improve Lung Cancer patient survival in the least amount of time and how much would it cost?”

In 2008, the founding of the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) fulfilled the answer to this question posed to 70 of the world’s leading Lung Cancer researchers, clinicians and patients at a ALCF-sponsored Summit.

Their unanimous answer:

“We need a national Lung Cancer institute — an honest third-party broker — with a virtual specimen repository, connecting existing biobanks and researchers worldwide through a unique real-time IT platform and better means of collaboration.”

Today, the network established by ALCMI, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, directly impacts Lung Cancer patient survival through its 21 carefully selected collaborating centers worldwide.

Through shared infrastructures and centrally coordinated scientific planning, ALCMI’s researchers are pooling their knowledge, specimens and data to understand Lung Cancer’s molecular bases and to accelerate development and delivery of effective, targeted drugs and treatments for individual patients. Our goal is to achieve unprecedented access to broader patient populations and to bring scientific advances to where patients live.

About Our Research Initiatives

The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI, voiced as “Alchemy”) works in tandem with our partner, the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), to power collaborative, patient-centric research initiatives.

ALCMI is focused on patient-centric research advancements, directly facilitating and driving initiatives in early detection and diagnostics (including inherited and acquired genetic mutations) plus new and improved therapeutic options (including leveraging patients’ own immune systems to target their tumors).

ALCMI has built centralized tumor/blood/urine biobanks along with mature data banks and study management systems, serving as the foundation for a one-of-a-kind lung cancer research consortium comprised of 23+ member institutions in the US and Europe, and (soon) the Middle East and South Asia. All centers and investigators work together as a team to accelerate discovery, development and delivery of new, more effective lung cancer treatment options. ALCMI provides the centralized systems and study management that is so imperative for accelerating advancements.

By providing access to critical masses of patient stakeholders, academic, community and industry researchers, we are making progress towards the joint ALCF/ALCMI goal of transforming lung cancer into a chronically managed (survivable) disease by the year 2023.

  • Researchers benefit through access to data and geographically broad patient populations, and can therefore better understand how such diverse patients respond to therapies. Researchers can also, identify next treatment paths based on a patient’s biological and molecular make-up, make predictions about outcomes; etc.
  • Perhaps as significantly, patients benefit by being empowered through more active involvement and participation in advancing discovery, treatment and care for themselves and others. By participating in clinical research and giving researchers access to their biospecimens, clinical data and therapeutic outcomes, patients will help to accelerate the development of precision medicine for lung cancer.

Leveraging ALCMI’s infrastructures, we have developed and implemented a uniquely promising portfolio of innovative, patient-centric translational research projects.

Current Projects

ASTLE (2010-present): established standardized biorepository with outcomes data for improved understanding of tumor biology, and molecular drivers (free testing). It also serves as a collaboration engine driving discovery, development and delivery of diagnostics, targeted therapies, and immuno-oncology agents.

INHERIT EGFR (2012-present): determining prevalence of inherited EGFR T790 mutations (free testing) in lung cancer patients and their first-degree relatives and estimating prevalence of CAT scan detected lung nodules in individuals with inherited mutations and no lung cancer diagnosis

Genomics of Young Lung Cancer (2014-present): facilitating delivery of targeted therapies, characterizing the impact of young age at lung cancer diagnosis on the genomic landscape of lung cancer (free testing), and establishing a prospective registry of biospecimens for investigational acquired and inherited genomics.

New Projects in Development

Coordinating Center for the National Cancer Institute’s Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) Consortium (submitted; five years beginning December 2016):

  • therapeutic development and mechanisms of resistance, and innovative approaches to the diagnosis and prevention of SCLC

Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer (500 patients/2,000 controls; Q4 2016), first study to:

  • examine environmental, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors and mutation-specific risk,
  • evaluate early life exposures in relation to risk (maternal and paternal exposures, early life diet and reproductive factors, and cumulative exposure to environmental factors), and
  • explore gene-environmental interactions, which would aid in identifying lifestyle and/or environmental factors that can modify genetic risk

Liquid Biopsies in Lung Cancer study (400 patients; Q3 2016):

  • to identify mutations not found in tumor tissue biopsies that may be useful for refining diagnosis or even selecting patients for targeted therapy
  • evaluating blood- and urine-derived biomarkers before, during, and after treatment

ROS1 Mutation, Pan-Cancer, Patient-Directed Cohort study (Q3 2016):

  • study ROS1-positive patients, with corresponding biospecimens & data, to help identify and develop more effective therapies

Phase II Immuno-oncology SCLC trial, (45 patients; Q4 2016):

  • therapeutic, combination clinical drug trial in SCLC
  • improved patient outcomes

Ohio Lung Cancer Population study, (6,000 patients; Q1 2017)–will conduct mutation panel analysis for clinical decision-making and to answer research questions:

  • what are the mutation profiles for lung cancer in a population-based study?
  • does the availability of a broad mutation panel affect clinical decision making by community oncologists and consequently improve survival?
  • does the availability of a broad mutation panel foster enrollment in clinical trials?

For information contact: Tony Addario, Chair and CEO / (650) 598-2857 / taddario@alcmi.net