We are pleased to announce the selection of 2011-2012 Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research Seed Grant Award recipients. The purpose of our grant program is to impact the understanding of pancreatic cancer cell biology, biochemistry, physiology and response to treatment. We hope that future collaborations among researchers from major cancer institutions will advance our goal of improved treatment options and the eventual cure for this disease.

	Pamela Itkin-Ansari, PhD University of California, San Diego Department of Pediatrics "Restoring balance to the bHLH/Id3 Axis as a potential therapy for pancreatic cancer"
	Andrea Bullock, MD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Harvard Medical School Internal Medicine/Hematology-Oncology "Mitogenic signaling after loss of tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 in pancreatic cancer"
	Stephan D. Kendall, MD Duke University Medical Center Medicine/Medical Oncology "Using genetically-engineered mouse models to evaluate the role of macrophages in pancreatic tumorigenesis"
	David Gius, MD, PhD Vanderbilt Medical School Cancer Biology/Radiation Oncology "Sirt2 regulation of KRAS is an early event in pancreas carcinogenesis"
	Emmanuelle Meuillet, PhD The University of Arizona Cancer Center Nutritional Sciences and Molecular and Cellular Biology "Mechanistic and translational studies of the inflammatory response in pancreatic cancer"
	Yung-Ya Lin, PhD University of California, Los Angeles Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry "An integrated synergistic approach for early detection and targeted therapy of pancreatic cancers by magnetic resonance molecular imaging and nano medicine"

 

2010

	Andrea Viale, MD Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA Department of Medical Oncology "The role of oncogenic K-RAS in self–renewal and maintenance of cancer stem cells in pancreatic cancer"
	Ying Ma, PhD University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX Department of Immunology "Mast cell blockage as immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer"
	Larry Karnitz, PhD Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Department of Radiation Oncology "An innovative drug combination for pancreatic cancer"
	Guido Eibl, MD University of California, Los Angeles, CA Department of Surgery "Western diet-induced pancreatic cancer"

 

2009

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Carmen Visus, PhD
Pathology
University of Pittsburgh
Hillman Cancer Center
"Combinatorial Strategy for Targeting Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells"

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Gabriela Chiosis, PhD
Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry and Medicine
Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
"Inhibition of Molecular Chaperones as a Potential Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer"

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Shen Hu, PhD
School of Dentistry & Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center UCLA
"Tracer-Based Proteomics of Pancreatic Cancer"

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Timothy Donahue, MD
Surgery/General Surgery
UCLA
"Identifying the Malignant Signatures Associated with the Development of Human Pancreatic Cancer"

 

2008

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Jonathan Cheng, MD
Medical Oncology
Fox Chase Cancer Center
"Tumor Stromal Fibroblasts as a Therapeutic Target"

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Wai-Nang Paul Lee, MD
Pediatrics LABiomedical Research Institute
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
"Proteomics of Pancreatic Cancer: Determination of Protein Turnover"

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Shuping Vincent Wu, PhD
Medicine/BBRI
VA, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
 "Stress and Pancreatic Cancer: Role of Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) System"

 

2007

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Ashok K Saluja, PhD
Department of Surgery
Division of Basic & Translational Research
University of Minnesota
"The Inhibition of HSP70 Expression Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer Cells to TRAIL-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death"

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Frank A. Sinicrope, MD
Gastroenterology and Oncology
Mayo Clinic and Mayo College of Medicine
"BH3 Mimetic Reverses Apoptosis Resistance in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells"

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Hongxiang Hui, MD, PhD
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
University of California, Los Angeles
"Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 is a Promissing Anti-Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Agent by Cell-Differentiation Induction and Growth Inhibition"

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Edward Garon, MD
Division of Hematology-Oncology
University of California, Los Angeles
"Clinical Trial of Gemcitabine with Genistein or Placebo After Resection for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma"

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David W. Dawson, MD, PhD
Co-Director, UCLA Pancreatic Tissue Bank
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
UCLA Pancreatic Tissue Bank and Data System

2006

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Harold Frucht, MD
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases
Columbia University
"Pancreatic Physiology in the Screening and Early Detection of Human Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma"

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Diane M. Harris, PhD
Center for Human Nutrition
University of California, Los Angeles
"Fatty Acid Synthase Inhibitors in Pancreatic Cancer"

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Joseph Kim, MD
Department of General and Oncology Surgery
Division of Clinical and Molecular Pharmacology
City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute
"Targeting Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 to Prevent Pancreatic Cancer"

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Krisztina Kisfalvi, MD, PhD
Division of Digestive Diseases
University of California, Los Angeles
"Role of Protein Kinase D (PKD) in the Proliferation of Pancreatic Cancer Cells"

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Christopher Wolfgang, MD, PhD
Department of Surgery
Cameron Division of Surgical Oncology
Johns Hopkins University
"Targeting Lipid Mediations of Pancreatic Cancer Growth"

 

2005

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Nathan R. Wall, BS, MS, PhD
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Center for Molecular Biology & Gene Therapy
Loma Linda University
"Surviving Regulation of Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer"

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Anna Gukovskaya, PhD
UCLA / VA Greater LA Healthcare System
"Sensitization of Pancreatic Cancer to Gemcitabine Chemotherapy by Inhibiting Anti-Apoptotic XIAP with Herb-Derived Embelin"

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Howard A. Reber, MD
Professor & Chief
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Continuing funding for Hirshberg Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory at UCLA

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Stephen J. Pandol, MD
Med-VA Greater LA Healthcare System
(Fellowship Support for Dr. Izumi Ohno )
"Regulation of DNA Synthesis Pathways by Reactive Oxygen Species in Pancreatic Cancer"  

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Sarah M. Dry, MD
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Funding for the UCLA Pancreatic Tissue Bank