Lung Cancer Promotion and Prevention: Myeloid Mayhem
The Maclyn McCarty Memorial Lecture
- May 22, 2026
- 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
- Caspary Auditorium
Event Details
- Type
- Friday Lecture Series
- Speaker(s)
-
Charles Swanton, Ph.D., FRCP, deputy clinical director, The Francis Crick Institute
- Speaker bio(s)
-
Non-small cell lung cancer arises not only through somatic mutation but via promotion of mutant progenitor clones within an inflammatory alveolar niche. Our recent work has demonstrated that clonal hematopoiesis (CHIP), particularly myeloid-biased CHIP, accelerates lung cancer progression, likely through amplifying pro-inflammatory signaling. Our work reveals that air pollution (PM2.5) has been shown to drive lung cancer promotion by stimulating the progenitor activity of EGFR-mutant alveolar type II (AT2) cells through an Il1B dependent pathway, mimicking chronic tissue injury. A recently developed 14-protein plasma signature predicts future lung cancer onset, reflecting a sustained AT2-cell wound-healing state in the distal lung microenvironment and enabling early detection and risk stratification years before clinical presentation. Ongoing work deciphering the mechanistic basis of inflammation-driven lung cancer promotion and opportunities for cancer prevention will be discussed.
- Open to
- Tri-Institutional