Innovative Grant

Home Research Research Grants Program Grants Awarded By Type of Grant Innovative Grant

INNOVATIVE GRANT (FORMERLY KNOWN AS PILOT GRANT)

Innovative Grants currently are for a two-year period and award $200,000. Introduced in 2007, they provide seed money for the development of new ideas and innovative models. Emphasis is given to projects that are non-duplicative.

Since 2008, these grants have been administered in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). To date, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has awarded 35 Innovative/Pilot Grants. Click below to learn about these grantees and their funded projects.

2008 Randy Pausch, PhD – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Nabeel Bardeesy, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Molecular Markers of Drug Sensitivity in Pancreatic Cancer

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Michael Barrett, PhD
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Scottsdale
Genomic Drivers of Therapeutic Responses in Metastatic Disease

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD
New York University School of Medicine
PDA Development:  Heads or Tails?

2012 George & June Block Family Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
David Boothman, PhD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
NQO1-mediated ‘Kiss of death’ Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer

2013 Abby Sobrato – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Yves Boucher, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Targeting Desmoplasia in Pancreatic Cancer to Improve Drug Efficacy

2009 Seena Magowitz – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network -- AACR Pilot Grant
George A. Calin, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Roles of MicroRNAs and Ultraconserved Genes in Pancreatic Cancers

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Lisa Cannon-Albright, PhD
University of Utah
Informative Linkage Analysis of High-Risk Pancreatic Cancer Pedigrees

2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant (Grant funded in part by the Lefkofsky Foundation)
Paul Chiao, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
TAK1 is a Novel Therapeutic Target in Pancreatic Cancer

2012 Tempur-Pedic® Retailers – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Channing Der, PhD
University of North Carolina
Mechanism of ERK Inhibition Resistance and ERK-dependent Pancreatic Cancer

2011 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
James Eshleman, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Identifying Familial Pancreatic Cancer Predisposition Genes

2012 Bonnie L. Tobin – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Peter Espenshade, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
SREBP Pathway as a Target for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

2009 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Qingshen Gao, MD
NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute
Discovery of Novel Pancreatic Cancer Susceptibility Genes

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Douglas Hanahan, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Assessing Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of an Aspartyle Protease in Pancreatic Cancer

2011 Abby Sobrato – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
2008 Michael C. Sandler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Matthias Hebrok, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Role of miRNAs in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (2011)
NF-kB Signaling in PanIN Formation (2008)

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Sunil R. Hingorani, MD, PhD
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Activated Kras G12D and Oncogene Dependence in Pancreatic Cancer

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Using a Genomic Scale to Identify the Genes that Play a Role in the Ability of Pancreatic Cancer to Metastasize to Other Organs

2012 Blum-Kovler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Tyler Jacks, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mechanisms of K-RAS Independent Growth in Pancreatic Cancer

2009 Constance Williams – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Brian Lewis, PhD
University of Massachusetts
Involvement of miRNAs in Kras-Induced Pancreatic Tumorigenesis

2009 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Jiayuh Lin, PhD
Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Dual Inhibitors Target JAK2/STAT3 for Novel Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

2008 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Pilot Grant
Bin Liu, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Internalizing Human Antibodies Targeting Pancreatic Tumor Cells In Situ

2014 Robert Aronson – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Anirban Maitra, MBBS
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Macrophage Function in Pancreatic Cancer-associated Diabetes

2010 Fredman Family Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Frank McCormick, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Specific K-Ras Inhibitors for Treating Pancreatic Cancer

2014 Celgene Corporation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
George Miller, MD
New York University School of Medicine
Regulation of Pancreatic Tumorigenesis by Necroptosis

2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Pinku Mukherjee, PhD
Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale
Development of Immune-Modulating Therapies Delivered Directly to the Pancreatic Tumor Site

2011 Kovler – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Hidde Ploegh, PhD
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Generation of Transnuclear Mice from Pancreatic Cancer Infiltrating T Cells

2014 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Diane Simeone, MD
University of Michigan
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer Biology and Therapeutic Development

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
M. Celeste Simon, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Role of Hif1a in inflammation, tissue repair, and cancer of the pancreas

2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
2007 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant
Gloria Su, PhD
Columbia University
Notch Decoy Signaling in Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells (2010)
Activin Signaling in the Development of Pancreatic Cancer Precursor Lesions (2007)

2010 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Amy Tang, PhD
Eastern Virginia Medical School
SIAH is a Novel and Effective Anti-K-Ras Drug Target in Pancreatic Cancer

2013 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Timothy Wang, MD
Columbia University
Dclk1 in pancreatic tumorigenesis

2013 Blum-Kovler Foundation – Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – AACR Innovative Grant
Valerie Weaver, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Interplay between tension and inflammation in pancreatic tumor progression