For patients living with RET-positive cancer, scientific progress can’t come fast enough. Yet promising research often happens across separate institutions, with valuable data, resources, and discoveries not always reaching the researchers who could build upon them. The Happy Lungs Project is working to change that.
RET Research Network
Connecting researchers. Building shared resources. Accelerating discoveries and investment in RET-positive cancers.
What is the RET Research Network?
Dr. John Heymach
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Topics covered in this video
- What is the RET Research Network?
- Why is bringing researchers together across institutions important?
- What could this approach make possible for patients?
The RET Research Network is a collaborative research initiative that brings together leading cancer research institutions to:
Tackle shared scientific challenges
Develop valuable research resources
Accelerate progress toward better treatments for RET-positive cancers
Meet the Founding Institutions
The RET Research Network launches with research teams from three leading cancer institutions, each bringing distinct expertise, perspectives, and scientific resources to the collaborative initiative.
Gustave Roussy
Villejuif, France
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Mihaela Aldea, MD, PhD
Research Team
Julien Hadoux, MD, PhD
Luc Friboulet, PhD
Ludovic Bigot, MSc
Daniela Miliziano, MD
Noemie Simon-Tillaux, MD, PhD
Vincent Boursier
Annarita Avanzo, MD
Maria-Rosa Ghigna, MD
Luc Friboulet, PhD
Ludovic Bigot, MSc
Daniela Miliziano, MD
Noemie Simon-Tillaux, MD, PhD
Vincent Boursier
Annarita Avanzo, MD
Maria-Rosa Ghigna, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
John Heymach, MD, PhD
Jia Wu, PhD
Jia Wu, PhD
Research Team
Haniel Araujo, MD
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
David Carbone, MD, PhD
Research Team
Laura Schubert, MD, PhD
Ju Hwan Cho, PhD
Ju Hwan Cho, PhD
These three founding institutions establish the foundation for the RET Research Network’s first phase, with plans to expand the network through future phases of research investment.
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From the outset, the RET Research Network will also bring together a broader community of researchers and clinicians dedicated to advancing RET-positive cancer research. Through regular scientific discussions, investigators from participating institutions and beyond will have opportunities to share emerging findings, exchange expertise, and identify new opportunities for collaboration. This inclusive approach is designed to accelerate scientific progress, strengthen connections across institutions, and create opportunities for promising ideas to inform future research priorities and investments.
Video Series
Answering the Questions That Matter Most
Dr. David Carbone
The Ohio State University
Tackling treatment resistance and other urgent questions facing patients.
Sharing Resources, Accelerating Discovery
Dr. Jia Wu
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Why sharing research tools is essential to advancing rare cancer research.
What the RET Research Network Means for Patients
Ive Rosseel
Patient and Community Advisory Board Member, The Happy Lungs Project
Better Science, Faster Progress
Dr. Mihaela Aldea
Gustave Roussy
How collaboration accelerates discovery and builds stronger evidence.
Latest Updates
How RET Research Network Will Accelerate Progress
The RET Research Network is built around three interconnected priorities:
1
Connecting Research Teams
Bringing together leading research institutions to combine expertise, coordinate scientific priorities, and pursue shared goals.
See the output
CONNECT
A coordinated, multi-institutional research network of teams within and between the institutions
2
Building Shared Research Resources
Developing and sharing valuable scientific assets — including research data, biospecimens, laboratory models, and scientific knowledge — that researchers can leverage to accelerate discoveries.
See the output
BUILD
Shared scientific resources, data, knowledge, and strategic thinking.
3
Catalyzing Future Investment
Using collective research findings and insights to build a stronger case for pharmaceutical companies, research funders, and strategic partners to invest in RET-positive lung cancer research and therapeutic development.
See the output
CATALYZE
Compelling evidence for additional investment and partnerships — for future investigators, pharma partners, and funders.
Together, these efforts aim to accelerate scientific progress, create new opportunities for research and clinical development, and ultimately improve treatment options and outcomes for patients.
RET Research Network Outputs and Impact
Accelerate discoveries, unlock future research and treatment opportunities, and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.
A Different Approach to Advancing Research
The RET Research Network is designed to make collaboration an intentional part of the research process from the beginning.
TRADITIONAL PROJECT-BASED FUNDING
Project 1Project 2Project 3
RET RESEARCH NETWORK
Team ATeam BTeam C
Shared research foundation → Future discoveries
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Traditional research funding often supports individual projects with specific goals, timelines, and deliverables. While these investments produce important discoveries, opportunities to coordinate efforts, share resources, and build upon one another’s work aren’t always fully realized.
Traditional project-based funding: Individual research teams pursuing distinct projects, each generating its own findings and resources, with varying levels of coordination.
RET Research Network: Multiple institutional research teams connected through a shared research foundation, contributing knowledge, data, samples, and models that can support current and future research.
Rather than funding separate projects alone, The Happy Lungs Project is connecting research teams across institutions to work toward shared objectives and develop resources that can benefit each researcher and institution within the RET Research Network, as well as the broader scientific community.
Built to extend beyond individual grants and institutions, the RET Research Network also creates opportunities for a broader community of scientists to exchange expertise, contribute insights, and shape future research collaborations.
Participating teams will contribute their expertise and research findings to a growing foundation of shared scientific knowledge, including data, tissue samples, and laboratory models.
By connecting the science, we aim to accelerate discoveries, attract new investment, and create more opportunities to advance promising research toward new treatments.
The goal is to ensure that the work of one research team can strengthen the work of others — and that today’s investments continue creating opportunities for tomorrow’s discoveries.
What This Means for Patients and Families
Every unanswered scientific question represents an opportunity to discover something that could change a patient’s future.
Because for patients and families, research isn’t just about what we discover. It’s about what those discoveries make possible: more options, more time, and more hope.
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For people living with RET-positive cancer, the need for progress is urgent. While targeted therapies have transformed treatment for many patients, resistance remains a significant challenge, and too many patients face uncertainty about what comes next when their treatments stop working.
That’s why the RET Research Network matters. By bringing together leading researchers, combining scientific resources, and building upon collective discoveries, we’re working to overcome barriers that can slow progress and create new opportunities for treatments that patients urgently need.
Our vision is a future where patients have more options, where promising discoveries have a clearer path toward clinical trials, and where no opportunity for progress is lost because researchers were working in isolation.
Get Involved
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The next breakthrough won’t happen by accident. We have to build toward it.
Make a donation to support The Happy Lungs Project as we accelerate research, close critical gaps in care, and bring together the people and resources needed to improve and save the lives of those living with RET-positive cancers.
Donate TodayQuestions or need more information? Contact us at info@happylungsproject.org
