Three Leading Biomedical Researchers Join The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Prestigious Scientific Advisory Board And A New Chair Appointed To The Medical Advisory Board

News provided by

Aug 13, 2013, 06:44 ET

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Aug. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is pleased to welcome three new members to its prestigious Scientific Advisory Board: Sunil Hingorani, MD, PhD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA; Kimberly Kelly, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA; and Steven Leach, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Vincent Picozzi, MD, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, was appointed chair of the organization's Medical Advisory Board.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111004/LA79914LOGO)

"It is an honor to welcome Drs. Hingorani, Kelly and Leach to our Scientific Advisory Board, and we congratulate Dr. Picozzi on his new role as chair of our Medical Advisory Board," stated Lynn Matrisian, PhD, vice president of scientific and medical affairs for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. "They each have made an impact in the field of pancreatic cancer and bring a wealth of knowledge to our team that is critical as we work towards our goal to double the survival rate for pancreatic cancer by 2020."

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Scientific Advisory Board and Medical Advisory Board provide strategic guidance to our scientific and clinical agenda, and are composed of biomedical researchers and healthcare professionals who are experts in the field of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Hingorani played a lead role in the development of the first genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic cancer that accurately recapitulates the human disease. Using that model to inform the development of human clinical trials, he works on devising novel strategies to overcome treatment resistance. Dr. Hingorani is a two-time recipient of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network research grants: the 2007 Pilot Grant and the 2005 Dr. Laurence A. Mack and Roselle Mack Memorial – Career Development Award. Dr. Hingorani is driven to study this disease because his family has been touched by it.

Dr. Kelly's work focuses on imaging techniques to improve early detection and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Based on findings funded by our organization, Dr. Kelly has cofounded a biotechnology company and is currently conducting an early-phase clinical trial to test her noninvasive early detection biomarker. Dr. Kelly was awarded a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Career Development Award in 2007, generously funded by Laurie MacCaskill, seven-year pancreatic cancer survivor and the new chair of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Board of Directors, and her husband Paul.

Dr. Leach looks at the early development of the normal pancreas to provide clues to how tumors arise. He also studies the earliest stages of pancreatic cancer initiation to discover better methods to detect and treat the disease before it has progressed to become more aggressive. Dr. Leach is a pancreatic cancer surgeon and the mentor of two postdoctoral fellows, Jennifer Bailey, PhD, who received a Pathway to Leadership Grant (2011), and Florencia McAllister, MD, who received a Fellowship Grant in memory of Samuel Stroum (2012), both from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Dr. Picozzi has the largest single practice in pancreatic cancer in the nation. He has an active clinical research program both at his own institution and through the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group. He has been the principal investigator on a number of other clinical trials in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Picozzi joined the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Medical Advisory Board in 2008.

To learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, visit www.pancan.org.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase the survival rate for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double the Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rate by 2020. Together, we can know, fight and end pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics, better treatments and increase chances of survival.

SOURCE Pancreatic Cancer Action Network