MIT’s Koch Institute is part of new pancreatic cancer consortium

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT has been named part of a national pancreatic cancer research consortium formed by the Lustgarten Foundation. The consortium includes six world-renowned medical institutions working to advance the most promising research initiatives aimed at finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. The Lustgarten Foundation will provide an initial $10 million in grants this year for research in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The Lustgarten Foundation expects to contribute more than $25 million in funding to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Consortium (PCRC) over the next several years.

This ambitious undertaking will be led by 11 leading cancer researchers at the following participating institutions:

• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in affiliation with Harvard Medical School
• The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

At MIT, the effort will be led by Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute. In collaboration with researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the MIT team will study a cancer therapy targeted at the K-ras gene pathway. The K-ras gene is the most frequently mutated gene in pancreatic cancer.

As part of PCRC, the scientists will share knowledge, information, expertise and technologies in a coordinated effort. The consortium will make recommendations on how to allocate funds and assess the ongoing progress of the research being conducted. Additional funding decisions will be announced by the Foundation as they are determined.

“Our strategy of focused research has produced significant advances in understanding pancreatic cancer, including identifying the genes involved in this disease,” said Dr. Robert Vizza, president of The Lustgarten Foundation. “The Pancreatic Cancer Research Consortium will build on these advances by bringing together exceptional scientists and institutions who will lead the field toward a cure for the deadliest of all cancers.”

About The Lustgarten Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer

The Lustgarten Foundation, based in Bethpage, N.Y., is America’s largest private foundation dedicated solely to funding pancreatic cancer research. Founded in 1998, the Foundation provides critical support in the search for better diagnostics and treatment of pancreatic cancer, and to date has provided more than $32 million to more than 115 research projects at 41 medical and research centers worldwide.