Research in the News – Archive

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2013

5/14/2013 Grant recipient reveals an unexpected energy source for pancreatic tumors
A compelling study conducted by Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grant recipient Cosimo Commisso, PhD was recently published online in the prominent scientific journal Nature.

5/7/2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network participation at the AACR Annual Meeting
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grant recipients, staff, and advisors were among 18,000 attendees at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

5/2/2013 Researchers investigate radioactive bacteria to treat pancreatic cancer
A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal evaluated the possibility of using radioactive bacteria to treat pancreatic cancer.

3/29/2013 Researchers shed light on metabolic changes in pancreatic cancer cells
Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, recipient of a Career Development Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in 2010, was co-senior author of a recent article in the prominent scientific journal Nature.

1/30/2013 Two-time Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grant recipient helps define earliest stages of pancreatic cancer development
Matthias Hebrok, PhD is one of the lead authors of a study recently published in the prestigious journal Cancer Cell.

1/22/2013 ABRAXANE® improves overall survival in patients with untreated, metastatic pancreatic cancer
Important Clinical Trial News: Celgene Corporation has released the data from its phase III study showing that the addition of ABRAXANE to gemcitabine extends survival for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The combination, when given to patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had not received treatment, showed a nearly 2 month improvement in overall survival compared to patients receiving gemcitabine alone. A 59 percent increase in one-year survival was also reported.

2012

11/14/2012 Researchers participate in Scientific Session amid An Evening with the Stars festivities
Included among the hundreds of attendees at the 15th annual An Evening with the Stars gala were pancreatic cancer scientists and clinicians, fighting the disease daily from their laboratory benches, hospitals, and medical offices.

11/12/2012 Disappointing pancreatic clinical trial results announced
Clovis Oncology announced the negative results of its phase II clinical trial of their experimental drug CO-101.

11/09/2012 Positive results of a pivotal pancreatic cancer treatment clinical trial
Celgene Corporation has announced positive results from its Phase III study that shows ABRAXANE® extends survival for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

10/24/2012 International study sequences the genomes of pancreatic cancer cases
A large collaborative study was published on October 24, 2012 in the highly esteemed journal Nature, describing the Australian International Cancer Genome Consortium’s efforts to sequence the genomes of 100 pancreatic cancer cases.

10/18/2012 Novel pancreatic cancer drug derived from a Chinese plant being tested in the laboratory
The October 17, 2012 issue of the prestigious journal Science Translational Medicine included an article about a compound derived from a Chinese plant, tested in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

10/4/2012 New American Institute for Cancer Research report
On October 4, 2012, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) released a report describing excess weight as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

8/8/2012 Pancreatic cancer clinical trial terminated
On August 8, 2012, the pharmaceutical company Amgen announced that they will discontinue their Phase III clinical trial testing their experimental compound ganitumab (AMG 479) in combination with gemcitabine in patients with untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer.

7/24/2012 Intake of antioxidants may impact pancreatic cancer risk
An article was published online in the highly regarded journal Gut on July 23, 2012, describing a potential protective effect of dietary intake of antioxidants on the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

7/5/2012 Pancreatic tumor cells circulating in the bloodstream reveal potential mechanism of disease progression
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grant recipient David Ting, MD is co-first author of a paper published in the extremely prestigious scientific journal Nature, describing analyses of circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream of mice with pancreatic cancer.

6/19/2012 News from the first Pancreatic Cancer Special Conference hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research
See new data reported at the first American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) special conference completely devoted to pancreatic cancer, which took place June 18-21, 2012 in Lake Tahoe, NV.

6/12/2012 New clues explain how pancreatic tumors evade the immune system
There are two related papers published in the June 12, 2012 edition of the prestigious journal Cancer Cell, describing how pancreatic tumors are able to secrete factors to prevent the patient’s immune system from recognizing or attacking the cancer cells.

5/23/2012 Maryland high school student wins Intel and Smithsonian awards for pancreatic cancer test
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network congratulates Jack Andraka, a 15-year-old high school student from Crownsville, Maryland, who won first prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for a novel diagnostic strategy for pancreatic cancer.

5/2/2012 New role discovered for protein critical to the development of pancreatic cancer
Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, recipient of a 2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award, is a major author on an important publication in the highly prestigious journal Cell.

5/1/2012 Pancreatic cancer researchers gather at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting
The 103rd American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting was held in Chicago in April, 2012, and over 16,000 scientists were in attendance from around the world.

3/20/2012 New strategy to improve drug delivery to pancreatic tumors
The March 20, 2012 issue of the prominent journal Cancer Cell published an important study out of the laboratory of a two-time Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grant recipient.

2/1/2012 Complex link between diabetes drugs and pancreatic cancer risk
Diabetes is considered both a risk factor and a symptom of pancreatic cancer. A recent study looked at the association between several diabetes drugs and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

1/25/2012 Improving understanding of the mechanism and timing of pancreatic cancer metastasis
The January 20, 2012 edition of the very prestigious journal Cell included two research articles and an overview related to pancreatic cancer metastasis (spread), written by Pancreatic Cancer Action Network grant recipients.

1/13/2012 New study supports previous data that processed meats may increase risk of pancreatic cancer
Researchers from Sweden performed a large analysis of previously published studies evaluating risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and found a link between processed meats and pancreatic cancer.

1/11/2012 Protein necessary for the development and progression of all stages of pancreatic cancer
Marina Pasca di Magliano, PhD, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network grant recipient, published a study on the critical role of mutant K-Ras in all stages of pancreatic cancer.

2011

11/3/2011 Tempur-Pedic® CEO Meets with Grant Recipients
On Monday, September 26, 2011, Mark Sarvary, CEO and President of Tempur-Pedic International Inc., along with his wife and son, met with two grant recipients whose research projects have been funded by Tempur-Pedic Retailers – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network grants.

10/27/2011 Grantees and Board Members Interact at Scientific Session
The 4th annual Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Scientific Session took place on Friday, October 21, 2011, in conjunction with the organization’s An Evening with the Stars annual gala.

10/27/2011 AACR Special Conference – Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges
For the first time, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will offer a special conference completely devoted to pancreatic cancer.

10/5/2011 Encouraging results in early phase pancreatic cancer clinical trial
Results from a Phase I/II clinical trial of the experimental drug nab-paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine were published on October 3, 2011 in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology.

7/7/2011 The complex role of antioxidants in pancreatic cancer
A paper published on July 6, 2011 in the prestigious journal Nature describes a novel role for antioxidants in pancreatic cancer.

6/23/2011 Researchers participate in Advocacy Day 2011
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network grant recipients play a critical role advocating for increased research funding.

5/20/2011 Sutent® is the second targeted drug to be approved this month for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
On Friday, May 20, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the drug Sutent© (sunitinib) has been approved for the treatment of advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

5/12/2011 FOLFIRINOX shows encouraging results in pancreatic cancer
A paper published on May 12, 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that the combination chemotherapy regimen FOLFIRINOX showed promising results in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients, individuals whose disease has spread elsewhere in the body.

5/10/2011 Novel noninvasive method for pancreatic cancer detection
A team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic discovered a new way to potentially detect pancreatic cancer: searching for DNA clues in patients’ stool samples.

5/6/2011 Novartis drug approved to treat pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday, May 6th, that the Novartis drug Afinitor® (everolimus) has been approved for the treatment of advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

4/12/2011 Two novel drugs recommended to be approved to treat pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted on April 12, 2011 to recommend that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve two drugs in the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

4/12/2011 Factors connecting inflammation to pancreatic cancer initiation and progression
Dual grant recipient Matthias Hebrok, PhD (2008 Michael C. Sandler -- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant and 2011 Abby Sobrato -- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network -- AACR Innovative Grant) published a pivotal study in the prestigious journal Cancer Cell on April 12, 2011.

4/4/2011 Aspirin may decrease risk of pancreatic cancer
Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 102nd Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL on April 4, 2011, a study suggested that aspirin may be associated with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer.

3/15/2011 Malaria drug could be used to treat pancreatic cancer
The prestigious scientific journal Genes and Development published an exciting study online on March 15, 2011, discussing a potential new treatment option for pancreatic cancer.

1/20/2011 Important genetic changes in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center collaborated to publish a study in the journal Science in January 2011.

1/12/2011 Dr. Oz highlights pancreatic cancer on January 12th program
We commend Dr. Oz for his in-depth program on pancreatic cancer on January 12, 2011.

1/4/2011 New test under development could detect single cancer cell in blood
Announced in early January 2011, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have teamed up with Johnson & Johnson to develop a tool that could identify as few as one or two cancer cells, known as circulating tumor cells, present in a patient’s blood sample.

2010

10/27/2010 New research suggests that pancreatic cancer growth rate may allow time for early detection
On Wednesday, October 27, 2010, the scientific journal Nature published an exciting article describing the development of pancreatic tumors.

2009

10/2009 Consensus Report Offers Recommendations for Pancreatic Cancer Research Progress
An October 2009 consensus report presents recommendations from the 2007 National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Planning Meeting on Pancreas Cancer Treatment.

Grant Recipients Collaborate