CHICAGO – October 30, 2026 -- The American Lung Association Research Institute has invested $21 million in research and related scientific activities this year, bringing its total direct research funding over the past decade to $193 million.
More than $11 million goes to 120 research projects
The $21 million covers direct research funding of more than $11 million for 120 projects, plus related scientific activities. The projects run through three programs: the Awards and Grants Program, the Airways Clinical Research Centers Network and the Accelerator Program. The $193 million ten-year figure also includes the infrastructure and scientific support needed to advance research.
Funding spans allergic respiratory diseases, emerging respiratory pathogens, interstitial lung disease, indoor air quality, lung cancer and public policy. The Institute supports both established and early career scientists, and every funded project goes through peer review.
Disease burden in the U.S. frames the funding case
The Lung Association cites the following figures:
- More than 35 million people in the U.S. live with chronic lung disease such as asthma and COPD.
- An estimated 226,650 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.
- Acute respiratory diseases, including pneumonia, influenza, RSV and COVID-19, cause up to 44 million cases annually.
- 152 million people live in places that received a failing grade for air pollution.
Three grantees target brain metastasis, indoor air and lung repair
James Kim, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center received a Lung Cancer Discovery Award. His project studies how small cell lung cancer spreads to the brain, where treatment options are limited.
Mary Berlik Rice, MD, MPH, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health received an Indoor Air Research Award. Her study tests whether HEPA air purifiers reduce pollutants in homes of people with eosinophilic COPD. It also measures effects on lung function, symptoms, airway inflammation and walking ability.
Filiz Korkmaz, PhD, of The University of Iowa received an Innovation Award. Her work examines how LOX-1+ neutrophils and B cells reduce inflammation and promote lung healing during pneumonia, with the aim of identifying new therapies for recovery after serious lung infections.
Airways network anchors asthma and COPD research
The Institute also supports the Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network, which it describes as the nation's largest nonprofit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD research. Applications are now open for the 2027-2028 awards and grants cycle.