The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), together with the American Lung Association (ALA), collaborated to launch a new research award to fund innovative research in clinical diagnostic and treatment options for lung cancer in women.

Established in 2006, the ALCF is one of the largest patient-focused philanthropies devoted exclusively to lung cancer. Its ultimate goal is to make lung cancer a chronically manageable disease by 2023. So far, the nonprofit has raised about $25 million for research and educational programs.

The ALA also funds research and other programs, but focuses more on four strategic imperatives: defeating lung cancer; improving the air we breathe; reducing the burden of lung cancer on individuals and families; and eliminating tobacco and tobacco-related diseases from American lives.

With a $250,000 prize, the Momentum Research Award: Defeating Lung Cancer in Women grant is spread over two years and is designed to raise awareness for gender differences in lung cancer incidence and pathophysiology, as well as outcomes and prognosis.

“Over the last few decades, the rate of new lung cancer cases has approximately doubled among women while decreasing about 30 percent among men. The need for this lifesaving research and momentum is clear,” said Bonnie Addario, an 11-year lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF and the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI).

“Historically, there have been large gender gaps in scientific research, and this limits how much we know about the difference between women’s health and men’s. This new research award will help address this gap and save lives. The five-year survival rate for women with lung cancer is only one in five, and we need to change that,” Addario said.

This joint award represents the first time that the two organizations will financially support a young scholar to conduct a research study on the specific burden of lung cancer among women. The award is meant to identify bright young academics in the years of their careers who can think innovatively to deliver meaningful results while analyzing the unique situation of lung cancer in women.

“Lung cancer is not just the top cancer killer for both men and women. The startling truth is that the average five-year survival for lung cancer is among the lowest of all types of cancer,” ALA National President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer said in a press release.

“New treatment options are desperately and urgently needed to save lives, and we’re proud to partner with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation to fund promising lung cancer research that could dramatically impact the lives of patients and newly diagnosed,” Wimmer said.