Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and surgery is a critical treatment option for early-stage disease. However, accurately identifying lung tumors during surgery presents challenges, especially when they are small, less dense, or deep in the lung.

To address this, Natalie Lui, MD, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery) at the Stanford School of Medicine, has been awarded a multi-year research project grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study and develop a molecular imaging agent for localizing (or identifying) lung cancer tumors during surgery. This technique will help surgeons identify tumors during surgery, enabling them to achieve complete removal with a lower risk of complications and recurrence. 

Current techniques rely on cumbersome equipment and expose patients to radiation, complications, and prolonged operative times. Dr. Lui's proposed study, "Intraoperative Molecular Imaging of Lung Cancer Using Panitumumab-IRDye800," will focus on developing a potential molecular imaging agent to locate lung cancer tumors during surgery. This project will be supported by a robust team of co-investigators, including Stanford thoracic surgeons and other researchers who play integral roles in this effort: 

• Guolan Lu, PhD, Stanford University, Department of Urology

• Michael Ozawa, MD, Stanford University, Department of Pathology

• Kavitha Ramchandran, MD, Stanford University, Department of Medicine (Oncology)

• Nathaniel Myall, MD, Stanford University, Department of Medicine (Oncology)

• Tushar Desai, MD, Stanford University, Department of Medicine (Pulmonary)

• Summer Han, PhD, Stanford University, Departments of Neurosurgery and Computational Medicine

• Eben Rosenthal, MD, Vanderbilt University, Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

Panitumumab-IRDye800, also known as pan800, is a molecular imaging agent manufactured from panitumumab, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody and chemotherapeutic agent, and IRDye800, a near-infrared fluorescent dye. Because expression of the EGFR is much higher in lung cancer than in adjacent normal lung tissue, pan800 is a promising imaging agent. This imaging agent accumulates within the tumor but not in healthy nearby tissues, allowing a fluorescence camera to detect the signal. This process avoids radiation and can be easily integrated into the surgical workflow. 

Dr. Lui is a board-certified thoracic surgeon at Stanford Hospital, bringing her expertise in general thoracic surgery with a focus on thoracic oncology and robotic thoracic surgery. As the Surgical Director of the Stanford Lung Cancer Screening Clinic, she has increased screening rates at Stanford and raised awareness of screening through educational programming and community outreach. 

Her other research interests include using artificial intelligence to predict lung cancer recurrence and robotic surgical education. She directs the Thoracic Oncology Research Laboratory at Stanford that pursues these interests. Additionally, Dr. Lui has received funding from the Stanford Cancer Center, the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education, and the Stanford Center for Digital Health to support her research and screening initiatives in lung cancer.

The funding period for the NIH R01 grant will run from July 7, 2026, to June 30, 2031.