Biology

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Grants classified within the biology field of interest focus on understanding the development, progression, and metastasis (spread) of pancreatic cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute’s Common Scientific Outline, these projects deal with one or more of the following research topics: (1) normal functioning; (2) cancer initiation: alterations in chromosomes; (3) cancer initiation: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes; (4) cancer progression and metastasis; and (5) resources and infrastructure related to cancer biology. Click below to learn about these grants.

grantee-Abel-98x982016 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Ethan Abel, PhD
University of Michigan
The Role and Regulation of HNF1A imn Pancreatic Cancer Cells

grantee-Abel-98x982017 Richard Cianfaglione – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research KRAS Fellowship
Hema Adhikari, PhD
Duke University
Elucidating the Role of KRAS Specificity Determinants in Pancreatic Cancer

2012 The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Jiyoung Ahn, PhD
New York University
Oral Microbiome and Pancreatic Cancer: A Prospective Case-Control Study

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Jennifer Bailey, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Stop the Start: Novel Insights into PanIN Initiation and Progression

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Michael Barrett, PhD
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Scottsdale
Genomic Drivers of Therapeutic Responses in Metastatic Disease

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD
New York University School of Medicine
PDA Development: Heads or Tails?

2015 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award (Grant funded by an anonymous foundation)
Gregory Beatty, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Immune escape mechanisms in metastatic pancreatic cancer

2016 Samuel Stroum – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research KRAS Fellowship
Marco Biancucci, PhD
Northwestern University – Chicago Campus
Ras Inhibition by a Novel Bacterial Protease

2017 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research KRAS Fellowship
Marco Biancucci, PhD
Northwestern University – Chicago Campus
Targeting KRAS Switch I with Highly Specific Bacterial Endopeptidase

2015 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Kirsten Bryant, PhD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Exploiting pancreatic cancer cell metabolism for therapeutic gain

2009 Seena Magowitz – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network -- AACR Pilot Grant
George A. Calin, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Roles of MicroRNAs and Ultraconserved Genes in Pancreatic Cancers

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Lisa Cannon-Albright, PhD
University of Utah
Informative Linkage Analysis of High-Risk Pancreatic Cancer Pedigrees

2016 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Rohit Chandwani, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
The Epigenetic Plasticity of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

2006 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Ru Chen, PhD
University of Washington
Identifying the Role of the Notch Signaling Pathway in the Development of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant (Grant funded in part by the Lefkofsky Foundation)
Paul Chiao, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
TAK1 is a Novel Therapeutic Target in Pancreatic Cancer

2018 The Ruth and Frank Pratte Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Catalyst Grant
Iok In Christine Chio, PhD
Columbia University Medical Center
Targeting Redox Status and mRNA translation in Pancreatic Cancer

2003 Samuel Stroum – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – ASCO Young Investigator Award
Christopher Cogle, MD
University of Florida
Defining the Hemangioblast in Tumor Neoangiogenesis

2012 Skip Viragh – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Eric Collisson, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Optimizing MEK Inhibition in Pancreatic Cancer; from Cytostatic to Cidal

2011 Samuel Stroum – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Fellowship
Cosimo Commisso, PhD
New York University
Pancreatic Cancer, Macropinocytosis and Nutrient Internalization

2015 Skip Viragh – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Cosimo Commisso, PhD
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Targeting macropinocytosis via Na+/H+ exchanger inhibition in PDAC

2008 Seena Magowitz – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
David Dawson, MD, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Wnt Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer Progenitor Cells

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
David DeNardo, PhD
Washington University in St. Louis
Origins and Impact of Macrophages in Pancreatic Cancer

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Gina DeNicola, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College
Therapeutic Targeting of NRF2-regulated Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer

2012 Tempur-Pedic® Retailers – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Channing Der, PhD
University of North Carolina
Mechanism of ERK Inhibition Resistance and ERK-dependent Pancreatic Cancer

grantee-Abel-98x982017 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Jason Doles, PhD
Mayo Clinic
Metabolic Alterations Driving PDAC-associated Muscle Wasting

2012 Celgene Corporation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Stephanie Dougan, PhD
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Transnuclear mice: understanding the T cell response to pancreatic cancer

2012 The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Mikala Egeblad, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Dynamics of Tumor-Stroma Interactions in Pancreatic Cancer

2019 Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award
Dannielle Engle, PhD
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
CA 19-9 Promotes Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer

grantee-Abel-98x982017 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, PhD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
mRNA Splicing in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

2012 Bonnie L. Tobin – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Peter Espenshade, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
SREBP Pathway as a Target for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

2020 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award
Daria Esterházy, PhD
University of Chicago
Duodenal Control of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

2007 Carole and Bob Daly – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Characterization of the Hedgehog Interacting Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer

2009 Ruth Fredman Cernea – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Fellowship
Philippe Foubert, PhD
University of California, San Diego
Role of Inflammation in Pancreatic Cancer

2009 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Qingshen Gao, MD
NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute
Discovery of Novel Pancreatic Cancer Susceptibility Genes

2007 Nancy Daly Riordan – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Paul J. Grippo, PhD
Northwestern University
Evaluating Kras Oncogene Addiction in Pancreatic Precancer and Cancer

2011 Abby Sobrato – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
2008 Michael C. Sandler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Matthias Hebrok, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Role of miRNAs in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (2011)
NF-kB Signaling in PanIN Formation (2008)

2005 Dr. Laurence A. Mack and Roselle Mack Memorial – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Sunil R. Hingorani, MD, PhD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Cell-of-Origin in Pancreatic Cancer

2009 Samuel Stroum – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Fellowship
Eric Humke, MD, PhD
Stanford University
A Novel Paracrine Hedgehog Signaling Loop in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Using a Genomic Scale to Identify the Genes that Play a Role in the Ability of Pancreatic Cancer to Metastasize to Other Organs

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Dimitrios Iliopoulos, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Identification of Novel Molecular Circuits in Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells

2005 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Mircea Ivan, MD, PhD
Tufts University School of Medicine
Exploring Hypoxia Resistance in Pancreatic Tumors

2012 Blum-Kovler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Tyler Jacks, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mechanisms of K-RAS Independent Growth in Pancreatic Cancer

2015 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award (Grant funded by an anonymous foundation)
Nada Kalaany, PhD
Children’s Hospital Boston
Role of arginine metabolism in obesity-associated pancreatic cancer

2016 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – NCI, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research KRAS Fellowship
Perry Kennedy, PhD
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Discovery of Small Molecules that Bind to and Inhibit Mutant K-Ras

2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
DNA Repair and the DNA Damage Response in Pancreatic Cancer

2009 Constance Williams – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Brian Lewis, PhD
University of Massachusetts
Involvement of miRNAs in Kras-Induced Pancreatic Tumorigenesis

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Costas Lyssiotis, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College
Exploration and Targeting of Metabolic Dependencies in Pancreatic Cancer

2018 Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award
Karen Mann, PhD
Moffitt Cancer Center
RBFOX2-Mediated Alternative Splicing in Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Florencia McAllister, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Targeting IL-17 Signaling Axis in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

2012 The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Oliver McDonald, MD, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Johns Hopkins University
Genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming during evolution of pancreatic cancer

2014 Celgene Corporation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
George Miller, MD
New York University School of Medicine
Regulation of Pancreatic Tumorigenesis by Necroptosis

2020 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award
Alexander Muir, PhD
University of Chicago
Microenvironment Induced Metabolic Requirements of Pancreatic Cancers

2009 Larry Kwicinski – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network -- AACR Career Development Award
Maxence Nachury, PhD
Stanford University
Role of the Primary Cilium in the Initiation of Pancreatic Cancer

2011 Tempur-Pedic Retailers – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Kenneth Olive, PhD
Columbia University
The Role of HIF1 and Hypoxia in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Jae-Il Park, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Telomerase in the Development of Pancreatic Cancer

2020 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award, funded by Steven & Cheryl Kole and Harriet & Gerald Berner Family Charitable Fund
Krushna Patra, PhD
University of Cincinnati
Delineating Oncogenic Circuitries of GNAS Mutant Pancreatic Neoplasms

2016 Skip Viragh – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Rushika Perera, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Targeting Nutrient Scavenging Pathways That Fuel Pancreatic Cancer Growth

2009 Paul Mitchell – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Marina Pasca di Magliano, PhD
University of Michigan
Notch Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer Initiation and Progression

2011 Kovler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Hidde Ploegh, PhD
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Generation of Transnuclear Mice from Pancreatic Cancer Infiltrating T Cells

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, PhD
New York University
Immunomodulatory mechanisms in Kras-driven pancreatic cancer and metastasis

2010 Tempur-Pedic Retailers – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Zeshaan Rasheed, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Are Cancer Stem Cells Relevant in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma?

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Kenneth Scott, PhD
Baylor College of Medicine
Functionalizing Metabolic Pathway Driver Aberrations in Pancreatic Cancer

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
E. Scott Seeley, MD, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Stanford University
Transport Proteins as Modifiers of Oncogenic Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer

2008 Laurie and Paul MacCaskill – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Lorenzo F. Sempere, PhD
Dartmouth Medical School
Role of MicroRNAs in Initiation and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Diane Simeone, MD
University of Michigan
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer Biology and Therapeutic Development

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
M. Celeste Simon, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Role of Hif1a in inflammation, tissue repair, and cancer of the pancreas

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Pankaj Singh, PhD
University of Nebraska
Targeting a novel metabolic chemoresistance mechanism in pancreatic cancer

2007 Ralph H. Hruban, M.D. – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Ben Stanger, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Investigation of the Pancreatic “Ductome”

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Gloria Su, PhD
Columbia University
Activin Signaling in the Development of Pancreatic Cancer Precursor Lesions

2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Amy Tang, PhD
Eastern Virginia Medical School
SIAH is a Novel and Effective Anti-K-Ras Drug Target in Pancreatic Cancer

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Daolin Tang, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh
Role of HMGB1 in Pancreatic Cancer Initiation and Progression

2009 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Fellowship
David Ting, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Characterizing Circulating Tumor Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

2006 Samuel Stroum – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – ASCO Young Investigator Award
Jennifer Tseng, MD
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Development of a Malignancy Prediction Rule for Cystic Lesions of the Pancreas

2003 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
David Tuveson, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Tumor Suppressor Gene Loss of Heterozygosity for the Generation of a Murine Model of Ductal Pancreatic Cancer

2016 The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Christopher Vakoc, MD, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Enhancer Reprogramming as a Driver of Pancreatic Cancer Progression

2007 Skip Viragh – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Huamin Wang, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Functional Study of Hematopoietic Progenitor Kinase-1 in Pancreatic Cancer

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Timothy Wang, MD
Columbia University
Dclk1 in pancreatic tumorigenesis

2013 Blum-Kovler Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Valerie Weaver, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Interplay between tension and inflammation in pancreatic tumor progression

2006 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Daoyan Wei, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Role of KLF4a in Pancreatic Cancer

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Kathryn Wellen, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Understanding Metabolic Control of the Pancreatic Cancer Epigenome

2013 Skip Viragh – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Monte Winslow, PhD
Stanford University
Molecular Dissection of Hmga2 Function during Pancreatic Cancer Progression

2016 Carina Rogerson – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pathway to Leadership Grant
Wantong Yao, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Syndecan-1 is a Novel Regulator for Nutrient Salvage Pathway

grantee-Abel-98x982017 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Haoqiang Ying, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Regulation of Oncogene Addiction by YAP Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer

2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
David Sung-wen Yu, MD, PhD
Emory University
Exploiting the Replication Stress Response in Pancreatic Cancer