PanCAN Announces 2026 Research Grant Recipients

As part of our commitment to accelerate breakthrough research through the All Together We Can campaign, PanCAN announces nearly $3 million in grants that support cutting-edge science and fill critical gaps in the pancreatic cancer funding landscape.

Twelve grants have been awarded through two programs: The PanCAN Research Recovery Grants and PanCAN Catalyst Research Awards for use of Precision Promise℠ Biospecimens and Data. All grantees were selected through a peer-review process to ensure the merit and promise of the proposed projects.

These grants come at a critical time for the field, said PanCAN Chief Scientific and Medical Officer Anna Berkenblit, MD, MMSc. With the first RAS inhibitor approved by the FDA, and the therapeutic pipeline more full than ever before, we're focused on supporting leading-edge researchers so that we keep moving forward.

"We have real momentum across multiple fronts - blood tests and AI for early detection, targeted treatments, and understanding mechanisms of resistance," she said. "What patients need now is for all of us to bring those pieces together with urgency. That is exactly what PanCAN is built to do."

PanCAN is proud to announce the 2026 PanCAN grant recipients, made possible with generous support from PanCAN donors:

PanCAN Catalyst Research Awards for use of Precision Promise Biospecimens and Data

The four Catalyst Research Awards, totaling nearly $2 million, are aimed at harnessing the power of tumor tissue, blood samples and patient data to accelerate the development of new treatments for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. This unparalleled resource - collected from participants in the PanCAN Precision Promise adaptive clinical trial platform - fills a critical gap in the research landscape. We're providing researchers the materials they need to identify biomarkers of treatment response and resistance that can be targeted for more effective therapies. The goal is to drive discovery, inform trial design and bring us closer to a future where precision medicine is a reality for every person faced with this disease.

Data generated from the awards will be integrated into PanCAN's SPARK Research Data Platform and made available for future use by the pancreatic cancer research community, multiplying the value of these projects.

This year's Catalyst Research Award recipients are:

• Gregory L. Beatty, MD, PhD, from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, for two projects: Serum determinants of treatment response and resistance in pancreatic cancer and Multiplex Immunohistochemistry (mIHC) analysis of tissue samples from Precision Promise control arms. This grant is in memory of Skip Viragh.
• David DeNardo, PhD, from Washington University in St. Louis, for a project titled High-resolution tumor atlas of treatment impact in human PDAC. This grant is in memory of Skip Viragh.
• Peter Hosein, MD, from University of Miami, for a project titled Blood-based cell-free biomarker study in metastatic pancreatic cancer.
• Anirban Maitra, MD, from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, for a project titled Suppression of IL-1beta and PD-1 in advanced pancreatic cancer patients. This grant is in memory of Skip Viragh.

PanCAN Research Recovery Grants

Our eight Research Recovery Grants, totaling $1 million, fill the gap to rescue science that was otherwise going to go unfunded due to federal funding uncertainties. We are strategically targeting a breadth of topics and scientists at various career stages.

These grants support researchers as the field reaches a critical turning point: With more RAS-targeting therapies in the pipeline than ever before, our goal is to keep the momentum we need to deliver breakthroughs as soon as possible for patients and families facing this disease.

This year's Research Recovery Grant recipients are:

• Brian Boone, MD, from West Virginia University, for a project titled Bacterial derived ScI1 immunotherapy in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This grant is supported by Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation.
• Christopher Kemp, PhD, from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, for a project titled Patient derived tumor models for functional precision oncology. This grant is supported by Marco Argenti and Nanyan Li.
• Sita Kugel, PhD, from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, for a project titled Unraveling the role of LIN28B/HMGA2 axis in pancreatic cancer lineage plasticity. This grant is supported by an Anonymous Donor.
• John P. Morris IV, PhD, from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine, for a project titled Identifying immune-mediated mechanisms of RAS inhibitor efficacy and resistance in pancreatic cancer. This grant is supported by Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation.
• An Ngo-Huang, DO, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, for a project titled Tele-PancFit: Impact of tele-exercise for patients with resectable pancreatic cancer on tumor microenvironment and clinical outcomes. This grant is in memory of Janet Ranta Star.
• Anupriya Singhal, MD, PhD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, for a project titled Defining epigenetic drivers of cell-state plasticity in pancreatic cancer. This grant is supported by Martha Jeanne Shaw.
• Kazuki Sugahara, MD, PhD, from Columbia University, for a project titled Tumor-penetrating stromal modification of ß5 integrin-rich pancreatic cancer. This grant is supported by an Anonymous Donor.
• Andrew M. Waters, PhD, from University of Cincinnati, for a project titled Determining the role of KSR in mediating resistance to KRAS inhibition in PDAC. This grant is in memory of Terry Newendrop.

"We have always believed that transforming outcomes in pancreatic cancer requires investing in bold science long before breakthroughs reach headlines," said Dr. Berkenblit. "We're grateful for the generous donors who continue to support that work. In real time, together, we are turning science into survival."