Alliance Creates Opportunity to Maximize the Strengths of Both Organizations for Patient Benefit

Los Angeles, Calif. and Larkspur, Calif., January 9, 2024 – The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), a leading patient advocacy organization dedicated to fighting the world’s toughest cancer, in collaboration with the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR), today announced a strategic alliance to leverage features from Precision Promise — a PanCAN-sponsored, master protocol clinical trial platform to test multiple regimens in metastatic pancreatic cancer — to launch the next phase of this groundbreaking effort, a new master protocol for pancreatic cancer sponsored by GCAR. This effort aims to continue to accelerate research for new treatment options in pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

“PanCAN has made a strategic decision to collaborate with GCAR and take advantage of the strengths of both organizations to pursue the long term sustainability of a new pancreatic cancer clinical trial platform for patients. PanCAN will continue to treat and follow patients currently enrolled in Precision Promise until the study’s completion and GCAR will launch a next generation platform trial with PanCAN as the patient advocacy partner,” said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, President and CEO, PanCAN. “We are excited about GCAR’s investment in pancreatic cancer and believe that GCAR’s impressive track record of innovating, operationalizing, and implementing the modernization of new clinical trial designs will drive and accelerate progress for patients with pancreatic cancer.”

The relationship between PanCAN and GCAR spans many years, as GCAR’s CEO, Dr. Meredith Buxton, played a key role in crafting the original Precision Promise protocol. The alliance between PanCAN and GCAR represents a dynamic synergy, harnessing the strengths of both organizations to accelerate pancreatic cancer research and bring new treatments to patients.

“GCAR is excited to collaborate with PanCAN to launch this innovative and groundbreaking effort, continuing to work with the clinicians, patient community and industry to move forward the vision to improve treatment options for patients,” said Dr. Meredith Buxton, CEO & President, GCAR.  “We are delighted to take the baton from PanCAN and thank them for their outstanding work on Precision Promise, an unprecedented effort to test and approve new treatments for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.”

This new trial will build upon the valuable insights gained by PanCAN to date and enlists GCAR’s extensive experience in conducting patient-centric master protocols and adaptive platform trials. PanCAN’s unparalleled disease expertise, relationships with the pancreatic cancer community, and PanCAN’s Patient Services program will continue to be pivotal to the new study and ensure that patients understand their treatment options. The goals of the alliance are increased efficiency and scalability through streamlined operations and the potential for site expansion, broader access to diverse patient populations, and greater ability to attract pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Bringing the strengths of both organizations together in this way provides new opportunities for innovation, growth, and impact, and most importantly the advancement of new treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer.

“I am grateful to PanCAN for their leadership as the first patient advocacy organization to develop, lead and sponsor an adaptive clinical trial platform to drive the development of new, more effective therapies for pancreatic cancer patients,” said Diane Simeone, MD, Director of Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health and chair of the Precision Promise Steering Committee. “The Precision Promise investigators are excited to collaborate with GCAR, along with PanCAN as the patient advocacy partner, as we transition to this next phase of growth to further expand clinical trial options for patients.”

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive. For 18 years in a row, PanCAN has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator – the highest rating an organization can receive. This rating designates PanCAN as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating strong financial health, ongoing accountability and transparency.

About Global Coalition for Adaptive Research
The Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR) unites physicians, clinical researchers, advocacy and philanthropic organizations, biotech/pharma, health authorities, and other key stakeholders in healthcare to expedite the discovery and development of treatments for patients with rare and deadly diseases. As Sponsor of innovative trials, including master protocols and adaptive platform trials, GCAR is dedicated to the advancement of science by modernizing clinical trials that support more efficient, less costly drug development. Adaptive platform trials deliver an unmatched accelerated time from discovery in the lab to implementation in the clinic resulting in better treatments and lives saved. To learn more about GCAR and its initiatives, visit gcaresearch.org.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Julie Vasquez
Senior Director, Public Relations
310-697-9129
jvasquez@pancan.org

Global Coalition for Adaptive Research
Rachel Rosenstein-Sisson
Senior Director, Communications
Rrosenstein.sisson@gcaresearch.org