FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PANCREATIC CANCER RESEACHERS HONORED WITH $100,000 GRANTS

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and American Association for Cancer Research Present Career Development Awards to Two Outstanding Researchers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. U.S.A. (May 19, 2003) - The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), a national patient advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community, announced the recipients of their inaugural Career Development Awards for early-career scientists engaged in pancreatic cancer research. These groundbreaking awards advance research efforts for pancreatic cancer. The recipients of the award each receive a two-year grant that provides $50,000 per year for direct research expenses.

The first recipients of the PanCAN-AACR Career Development Awards are C. Max Schmidt, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Depts. of Surgery and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine; and David Tuveson, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine & Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Both recipients will be honored at the AACR 94th Annual Meeting -- cancelled in Toronto, Canada, earlier this month as a result of the SARS outbreak -- for July 11-14 in the new Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

“Establishing career development awards for pancreatic cancer will be critical in the fight for a cure,” said Paula Kim, PanCAN President and Founder. “Currently, there are not enough investigators with a focus on pancreatic cancer or enough research dollars for this disease, the fourth leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the U.S. PanCAN is therefore actively advocating for increased research dollars for pancreatic cancer from the federal government, while at the same time increasing the pool of investigators that are focused on this disease through career development awards. These two efforts go hand-in-hand toward scientific progress for pancreatic cancer.”

Despite the especially lethal nature of pancreatic cancer, research spending per pancreatic cancer patient is only $779. This is the least amount of money spent per patient of any leading cancer. In 2002, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) spent 23.6 million dollars—less than 1 percent of its cancer research budget--on pancreatic cancer research. Due to limited funding, little research is underway. There are no effective early-detection methods and treatment options remain minimal.

About PanCAN
PanCAN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by surviving family members of individuals who died of pancreatic cancer. Chartered as a grassroots organization of advocacy for pancreatic cancer patients and their families, PanCAN currently has volunteers and members throughout the United States and around the world. PanCAN is the first, national public-benefit advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community. The organization works to focus national attention on the need to find a cure for pancreatic cancer, and provides public and professional education embracing the urgent need for more research, effective treatments, prevention programs and early detection methods. Visit www.pancan.org to obtain more information, e-mail info@pancan.org, or call 1-877-272-6226.

About ASCO
ASCO is the world's leading professional society of multidisciplinary medical professionals who treat people with cancer. ASCO's more than 20,000 members from the U.S. and abroad set the standard for patient care worldwide and lead the fight for more effective cancer treatments, increased funding for clinical and translational research, and, ultimately, cures for the many different cancers that strike 1.3 million Americans every year. ASCO publishes the semi-monthly Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), the foremost, peer-reviewed journal focusing on clinical cancer research, and produces the award-winning website People Living With Cancer (www.plwc.org), which provides oncologist-vetted cancer information to help patients and families make informed healthcare decisions.

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Media Contacts:

Aaron Kiel
Public Relations Consultant for PanCAN
Phone: 562-983-8113
Email: akiel@akprgroup.com

Company Contacts:

Julie Fleshman
Executive Director, PanCAN
Phone: 310-725-0025
Email: jfleshman@pancan.org