Pankaj K. Singh, Ph.D., associate professor in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the American Association for Cancer Research and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Dr. Singh is one of 14 pancreatic cancer researchers to share in grants totaling more than $5 million. His two-year grant will focus on targeting novel metabolic chemo-resistance mechanisms in pancreatic cancer.
This is the first time anyone from Nebraska has ever received an award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Foundation. The award was presented to Dr. Singh by Frank McCormick, Ph.D., AACR immediate past president, and Julie M. Fleshman, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network president and CEO, at the AACR annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and has a five-year survival rate of just 6 percent. In its mission to advance pancreatic cancer research and improve patient outcomes, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has collaborated with the AACR to promote and support outstanding research focused on conquering this deadly disease.
The goals of the grants program are to build a robust pancreatic cancer research community; to encourage collaboration, information-sharing and innovation; and to expedite scientific and medical breakthroughs for patient benefit.