FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK ANNOUNCES ITS 2008 RESEARCH GRANT AWARDS TOTALING OVER $1 MILLION IN NEW RESEARCH FUNDING

Among the 11 Awards Presented is the
Inaugural Randy Pausch, PhD Pilot Grant

EL SEGUNDO, CA – (April 15, 2008) – The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org) announced today the 2008 Research Grant Awards recipients who will dedicate their time to pancreatic cancer research. The grant portfolio, topping $1 million in new grants, includes four Pilot Grants, six Career Development Awards and one Fellowship Award. Collectively, these grants support junior and senior scientists and provide funding for research in diverse fields of inquiry, including: the origin and causes of pancreatic cancer; the biology of the disease, including underlying physiological and biochemical processes; detection, staging, and diagnosis; and novel therapeutic strategies.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network grants program is administered in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). This partnership utilizes the rigorous and well developed AACR peer review system ensuring that the very best science in the country is supported.

Among this year’s Pilot Grants is one honoring Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dr. Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer and whose last lecture reflecting life’s lessons became an internet sensation. The 2008 Randy Pausch, PhD - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Pilot Grant was awarded to Nabeel Bardeesy, PhD from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

“We are excited to announce the 2008 Research Grant Awards recipients and to honor our dear friend, Dr. Randy Pausch,” stated Julie Fleshman, President and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “These awards demonstrate the importance we place on expanding research and building a cadre of scientists committed to advancing the detection, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.”

The Research Grant Awards details and recipients are as follows:

Fellowship Award: One-year grant totaling $45,000 that is awarded to a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow at an academic facility, teaching hospital or research institution who is sponsored by a mentor.

Ken-Tye Yong, PhD - State University of New York, Buffalo
Samuel Stroum - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Fellowship Award
Engineering Multimodal Targeted Probes for Pancreatic Cancer Detection

Career Development Awards: Two-year grants totaling $100,000 per award that are provided to junior faculty at academic and medical institutions.

Marie-Christine Daniel, PhD - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Career Development Award
Multifunctional Nanovectors for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

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

Joseph Michael Herman, MD - Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore
Blum-Kovler - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award
Evaluation of Focused Radiation to Enhance the Impact of a Pancreatic GM-CSF Vaccine

Hyunki Kim, PhD - The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Skip Viragh - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award
MRI to Monitor Early Pancreatic Tumor Response to a Novel Triple Therapy

Lorenzo F. Sempere, PhD - Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH & Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Laurie and Paul MacCaskill - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award
Role of MicroRNAs in Initiation and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer

Peter Storz, PhD - Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Patty Boshell - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Career Development Award
Kinase Regulating Pancreatic Cancer Resistance to Chemotherapeutics

Pilot Grants: Two-year grants totaling $100,000 per award that support innovative research in pancreatic cancer.

Nabeel Bardeesy, PhD - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Randy Pausch, PhD - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Pilot Grant
Molecular Markers of Drug Sensitivity in Pancreatic Cancer

Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD - New York University School of Medicine, New York
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Pilot Grant
Impact of Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia on Pancreatic Inflammation and Cancer

Matthias Hebrok, PhD - University of California, San Francisco
Michael C. Sandler - Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Pilot Grant
NF-kB Signaling in PanIN Formation

Bin Liu, PhD - University of California, San Francisco
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Pilot Grant
Internalizing Human Antibodies Targeting Pancreatic Tumor Cells in Situ

The research supported by these funds provides hope to the pancreatic cancer community and comes at a time of increased momentum by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to raise federal and private dollars to speed the discovery of a cure for pancreatic cancer. In January 2008, the organization launched Raise the Cure, an unprecedented initiative to secure $170 million in federal funding to carry out The National Plan to Advance Pancreatic Cancer Research and a commitment to raise $25 million in private funding.

To learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, visit www.pancan.org.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the only national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization raises money for direct private funding of research—and advocates for more aggressive federal research funding of medical breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network fills the void of information and options by giving patients and caregivers reliable, personalized information they need to make informed decisions. We create a sense of hope and community so no one has to face pancreatic cancer alone. The organization helps support individuals and communities all across the country work together to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Jennifer Reeves
Public Relations Manager
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Direct: 310-321-6542
Email: jreeves@pancan.org