EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), the first national patient-based advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community that serves patients, families, medical researchers and physicians, is partnering with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the lead federally-funded research organization dedicated to eliminating suffering and death for all cancers, to develop a map summarizing the nation’s current pancreatic cancer research investment. PanCAN originated the mapping concept and NCI has been instrumental in moving the project forward to “connect the dots” that will identify and track research and clinical trials that are primarily focused on pancreatic cancer. The map will facilitate the development of national strategies to maximize and leverage available resources in the fight against pancreatic cancer.
The completed PanCAN-NCI Pancreatic Cancer Research MAP (PanC Research MAP) will chart all research focused on pancreatic cancer and make it publicly available through a web-based database. Phase I of the MAP, currently in progress, focuses on publicly funded research. Phase II will incorporate privately funded research into the database. The MAP will afford patients, families, researchers and physicians access to a comprehensive listing of ongoing research projects and clinical trials information.
It is anticipated that this information will be used to highlight research progress, identify gaps in areas of research funding, and assist in the development of collaborative research projects and clinical trials. The PanC Research MAP is expected to be up and running by the end of 2004.
“Our goal is to deliver progress in the area of pancreatic cancer research and treatment,” said Paula Kim, Co-Founder and President, Scientific and Government Affairs, of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “No one else is taking this unique mapping approach. We anticipate that the MAP project will encourage collaboration and inter-connection among patients, families, researchers and physicians. The MAP will give a true picture of the current state of pancreatic cancer research, and we’ll be able to quickly identify the type and location of current research efforts. We see the MAP as an important model for all cancers, but one that is especially important for enhancing the research effort in underfunded, underrepresented cancers.”
According to NCI Director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., “NCI is committed to changing the course of cancer through innovative collaborations like the PanCAN-NCI Pancreatic Cancer Research MAP. Engaging the advocacy and research communities, the MAP will serve to integrate information on new research and discoveries that will enable us to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer.”
The Pancreatic Cancer Research MAP can be used by * Researchers to identify potential partners for collaboration and to potentially locate biological specimens and shared services * Funding agencies to develop or establish funding opportunities, and develop interactions among researchers, agencies, advocacy groups and the pancreatic cancer community * Patients, families, researchers, and clinicians to identify rate-limiting steps in research, drug development and delivery * PanCAN and the NCI to collaboratively work with researchers and industry to establish links for community outreach programs and patient accrual for clinical trials * PanCAN and NCI to optimize career development opportunities that strengthen the research field For updates on the PanC Research MAP, visit http://www.pancan.org/. About Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for men and women. Approximately 31,860 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year in the United States, and the majority -- 31,270 men and women -- will die, according to PanCAN. Despite the fact that 99 percent of pancreatic cancer sufferers die, the federal government invests less money in pancreatic cancer than any other leading cause of cancer mortality.
About PanCAN
PanCAN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by surviving family members of individuals who died of pancreatic cancer. Chartered as a grassroots organization of advocacy for pancreatic cancer patients and their families, PanCAN currently has volunteers and members throughout the United States and around the world. PanCAN is the first, national public-benefit advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community. The organization works to focus national attention on the need to find a cure for pancreatic cancer, and provides public and professional education embracing the urgent need for more research, effective treatments, prevention programs and early detection methods. Visit http://www.pancan.org/ to obtain more information, e-mail info@pancan.org, or call 1-877-272-6226.
About the NCI
The National Cancer Institute leads the National Cancer Program in the discovery of new knowledge about the causes and mechanisms of cancer and the development and delivery of interventions for the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer that will benefit all people. Each year, the NCI provides funding for over 5,000 principal investigators working at NCI and at nearly 700 institutions around the country and supports clinical trials involving more than 12,000 investigators and thousands of patients at the NIH clinical center and close to 3,000 other sites across the U.S.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
CONTACT: Aaron Kiel, +1-562-983-8113, akiel@akprgroup.com, or JenniferBeaver, +1-562-983-8117, jbeaver@akprgroup.com, both PanCAN Public Relationsfor Pancreatic Cancer Action Network; or Julie Fleshman, PanCAN President,+1-310-725-0025, jfleshman@pancan.org
Web site: http://www.pancan.org/
