This special series on “ALK-Positive NSCLC” is edited by Dr. Justin F. Gainor and Dr. Jessica J. Lin from the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. This special series aims to provide an updated overview of the most recent acquisitions and future perspectives.

Justin F. Gainor, MD is a medical oncologist and Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 2018, he was also appointed Director of Targeted Immunotherapy in the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at MGH. His major research interests have centered around two themes: targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Dr. Gainor has led multiple clinical trials evaluating novel targeted therapies for patients with oncogene-driven lung cancers, particularly those harboring chromosomal rearrangements involving anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and RET. In parallel, he has played an active role in uncovering the molecular mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies in lung cancer. More recently, Dr. Gainor has worked to transfer the same clinical-translational research framework pioneered in targeted therapies to the immunotherapy setting. His current work is investigating the role of novel immunotherapies and immunotherapy combinations in patients with oncogenic driver mutations, such as ALK rearrangements. Through careful insights into the immune landscape of such tumors, he hopes to extend the benefit of immunotherapies to these patient populations.

Dr. Jessica J. Lin is a medical oncologist of the Center for Thoracic Cancers and Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The primary focus of Dr. Lin’s research is to develop novel therapeutic and biomarker strategies for patients with advanced lung cancers harboring oncogene fusions, such as ALK and ROS1 fusions. Her work has been dedicated to the design and conduct of clinical trials evaluating novel targeted therapies and combination regimens, while additionally elucidating mechanisms of resistance or exceptional responses to these novel therapies through translational research. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve outcomes for patients living with lung cancer. Dr. Lin is a member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Association for Cancer Research, European Society for Medical Oncology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Series outline:

1. Preface
2. ALK fusions in lung cancer: biology, epidemiology, and diagnostics 
3. Current optimal first-line treatment in metastatic ALK+ lung cancer
4. Understanding resistance to next-generation ALK inhibitors 
5. Strategies to overcome resistance to ALK inhibitors 
6. Persister cells and minimal residual disease
7. Early-stage ALK+ lung cancer
8. Targeting brain metastases: emerging insights
9. Biology and impact of lineage plasticity in TKI resistance 
10. Immunotherapy in ALK+ lung cancer: current status and future directions
11. Patient advocacy in ALK+ lung cancer

Disclosure:
The series on “ALK-Positive NSCLC” was commissioned by the editorial office, Translational Lung Cancer Research without any sponsorship or funding. Dr. Justin F. Gainor and Dr. Jessica J. Lin serve as the unpaid Guest Editors of the series.