THE Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation giveS $1 million to pancreatic cancer action network for immunotherapy research

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – (June 30, 2016) The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation gifted $1 million to support the Shirley Sadoff Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Research Acceleration Network 2 Grant. The grant will support a large, multi-center phase II clinical trial testing an immunotherapeutic approach in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Sadoff passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2000. Her sister, Marilyn Taub, cofounded The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation with her late husband, Henry Taub, in 1967. Henry Taub was the founder of Automatic Payrolls, now known as ADP.

“Too many people are taken by this horrible disease,” said Marilyn Taub. “We hope that by funding research, we can improve the outcome for patients with pancreatic cancer.”

David Linehan, MD, of the University of Rochester and co-principal investigator Brian Wolpin, MD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received the research acceleration network grant through a highly competitive, peer-reviewed process administered by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

In conjunction with the immunotherapeutic-based clinical trial, Lineham and Wolpin will collect blood, bone marrow and tumor biopsies to identify which biomarkers, or biological clues, predict which patients will respond best to this promising approach.

From 2003 to 2016, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has invested more than $35 million in research grants representing 142 grants to 55 institutions around the US.

“The brightest minds are attracted to difficult challenges,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “With the generous support of the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, we will bridge researchers with resources to improve treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients.”

Earlier this year, pancreatic cancer surpassed breast cancer as the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the country with a five-year survival rate of just 8 percent.

Learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by visiting pancan.org. Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

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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 survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. To continue to accelerate progress, a goal to raise $200 million by 2020 is also in place. Together, we can Wage Hope and rewrite the future of pancreatic cancer.

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