Masonic Cancer Center member awarded PanCAN Grant

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announced the recipients of its 2019 research grants. Through a highly competitive peer-review process, seven researchers across the U.S. were selected, bringing PanCAN’s total projected research investment to approximately $104 million, including its grants program and clinical and scientific initiatives.

Ingunn Stromnes, PhD, with the Masonic Cancer Center and the University of Minnesota Medical School, was awarded the 2019 Julia Stagliano Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Catalyst Grant for her research project "Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Pancreas Cancer".

"I am incredibly honored to receive support from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network for funding our research to develop safe and effective immunotherapies for pancreas cancer," said Stromnes. "My team is also enormously grateful for the generosity of Nancy Stagliano, who in memory of Julia Stagliano, supports pancreas cancer immunotherapy research."

This is Dr. Stromnes’ second grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). She was previously awarded the Skip Viragh Career Development Award in 2017.

“We are thrilled to award Dr. Ingunn Stromnes with her second research grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of PanCAN. “We look forward to seeing how her work in immunotherapy advances the pancreatic cancer field to improve patient outcomes.”

This marks the 17th year of PanCAN’s donor-funded grants program. To date, the program has awarded 173 grants to 170 scientists at 64 institutions for a total of $47.2 million.