Research

Funded Projects

The record of NPF-funded pancreatic research — in a consistent citation format.

Browse the record

2024 Grant Awardees

Discovery of Epigenomic Biomarkers for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer in a Spatial Context
Yang Liu, PhD, Yale University

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The Role of Quantitative Sensory Testing in Pediatric Patients with Painful Acute Recurrent and Chronic Pancreatitis  Juan Gurria, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

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A Novel Non-Invasive Pancreatic Duct Pressure Measurement Technique to Predict Response to Endotherapy in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis  Venkata Akshintala, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

2023 Grant Awardees

Investigating Role of HMG-Box Transcription Factor 1 in Neural Interaction of Pancreatic Cancer
Jungsun Kim, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)

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Defining the Impact of Kras heterogeneity on the Tumor Microenvironment
Despina Siolas, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine

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Role of Phospholipases in Worsening Fat Necrosis During Pancreatitis
Nabil Smichi, PhD, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ

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Misfolding Trypsinogen Mutant Causes Chronic Pancreatitis in a Preclinical Mouse Model
Alexandra Demcsak, MD, PhD, The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles

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2022 Grant Awardees

Exploring Therapeutic Options in CFTR-related Pancreatitis Using Advanced In-vitro Intestinal-organoid Models
Liron Birimberg-Schwartz, LBS, MD, Hadassah Medical Center

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Investigating the Role of Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway in Driving Inflammation and Fibrosis in Mouse Models of Pancreatitis
Vineet Gupta, PhD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

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Cytotoxic Effector Memory CAR-T Cells and Anti-PD1 Checkpoint Inhibitor Combination Immunotherapy for PDAC
Vanaya Konduri, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine

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Leveraging Evolutionary Lineage Tracing to Dissect Heterogeneity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Initiation and Therapeutic
Response
John Morris, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Mechanosensing in Pancreatic Regeneration and Developmen
Sandip Swain, PhD, Duke University

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2021 Grant Awardees

Targeting Asparagine Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer
Christopher Halbrook, Ph.D., The Regents of the University of California, Irvine

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Incorporating Endoscopic Ultrasound and Elastography towards improving outcomes of Pediatric Pancreatitis Management
David Vitale, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

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Reparative Responses of Ductal Progenitor Cells in a Genetic and Inducible Injury Model for Severe Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis
Janine Quijano, Ph.D., City of Hope

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2020 Grant Awardees

Soy-Tomato Enriched Diet Modulates Inflammation in Chronic Pancreatitis
Thomas Mace, PhD, The Ohio State University

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Peep Profiling of Local and Systemic Immune Responses During Progression of Pancreatitis
Murli Manohar, PhD, Stanford University'

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Identifying Adaptations to Metabolic Stress in The Pancreatic Cancer Microenvironment
Alexander Muir, PhD, University of Chicago

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2019 Grant Awardees

Metabolic profiling to identify key regulatory events that drive pancreatic tumorigenesis and metastatic dissemination
Christine Chio, PhD, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York

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Initial Pain Management in Pediatric Pancreatitis: Opioid vs Non-Opioid
Amit Grover, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital

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Treating The Gaps in Acute Pancreatitis
Jiwon Hong, PhD, University of Auckland (New Zealand)

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Identifying Novel Druggable Regulators of NRF2 in Pancreatic Cancer
Chang Jiang, PhD, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

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Local Immune Responses Associated With Human Chronic Pancreatitis
Bomi Lee, PhD, Stanford University

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Therapeutic Targeting Of The Most Aggressive Molecular Subtype of Pancreatic Cancer
Cindy V. Leiton, PhD, The Research Foundation for The SUNY Stony Brook University

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2018 Grant Awardees

Contributions of the Adipose Tissue to the Development of Pancreatic Cancer
Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, PhD, The Ohio State University

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Targeting Stellate Cells for the Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis
Vikas Dudeja, MD, University of Miami

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Aberrant RNA Processing Induced by Mutant p53 in Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanistic and Therapeutic Implications
Luisa F. Escobar-Hoyos, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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Enhancing Precision Therapy for Patients with Acute Recurrent or Chronic Pancreatitis with CFTR Dysfunction by the Use of a Novel Sweat Test
Tanja Gonska, MD, The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)

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Inhibitor Resistant Trypsin in Pancreatitis
Zsanett Jancso, PhD, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

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2017 Grant Awardees

Can High RAS Activity Transform Pancreatic Ductal Cells?
Jennifer Bailey, MA, PhD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

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Alterations in the Enteroendocrine Axis Following Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Autotransplant (TPIAT) for Chronic Pancreatitis
Melena D. Bellin, MD, Regents of the University of Minnesota

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The Role of Pancreatic Cancer Metabolic Rewriting in Driving the Expression of CES2 a Predictor of Response to Folfirinox Therapy
Michela Capello, PhD, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center

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Reinterpreting Hypertriglyceridemia in the Context of Pancreatitis: Implications for Its Measurement, Classification, Mechanisms in Disease, Therapy, and Nutrition
Biswajit Khatua, PhD, Mayo Clinic Arizona

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Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy as an IMaging Biomarker (CLIMB study) for the Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions
Somashekar Krishna, MD, MPH, The Ohio State University

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Follistatin Nanoparticle Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer Cachexi
Daniel L. Marks, MD, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University

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Targeting Fibrosis in Chronic Pancreatitis: A Potential Treatment Option
Nadella, MD; Victor Ciofoaia, MD, Georgetown University

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2016 Grant Awardees

Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) A Reliable, Non-Invasive Method for Staging Chronic Pancreatitis from Minimal Change Disease to the Advanced Stages in Pediatrics
Abu-El-Haija, Maisam, MD; Trout, Andrew, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

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A Novel Biomarker, mAB Das-1, for Diagnosis and Risk Stratification of Precancerous Pancreatic Lesions*
Das, Kiron, MD, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
*Supported by the Allen Lebovitz and Esther Horvitz Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund

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Genomic Structural Variants at the CTRB1/CTRB2 Locus in Chronic Pancreatitis
Hegyi, Eszter, MD, PhD,
Boston University, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

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Preoperative Extended Chemotherapy vs. Chemotherapy Plus Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Borderline Resectable Adenocarcinoma of the Head of the Pancreas*
Katz, Matthew, MD FACS, University of Texas/MD Anderson Cancer Center
*Supported by the Western PA National Pancreas Foundation Chapter

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Non-Tumorigenic Support Cells Fuel Pancreatic Cancer Metabolism
Lyssiotis, Costas, PhD, Regents of the University of Michigan

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Engineered T Cells for Pancreatic Cancer*
Watanabe, Norihiro, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
*Supported by the Ben & Rose Cole Pria Foundation

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2015 Grant Awardees

Effect of Liver Histopathology on Islet Engraftment Post Autologous Transplant after Total Pancreatectomy for Chronic Pancreatitis
Chirag Desai, MD, Georgetown University

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Modulating TH17cells in Pancreatic Tumorigenesis by Targeting RORγt
Florencia McAllister, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

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Identifying Somatic Mutations in Chronic Pancreatitis
Andrew Rhim, MD, University of Michigan

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Genetic Determinants of Pediatric Chronic Pancreatitis
Aliye Uc, MD, The University of Iowa

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2014 Grant Awardees

Investigating the Role of Progenitor-Like Cells in Pancreatitis in Mouse and Human Pancreas
Farzad Esni, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

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Immune Based Therapies in Chronic Pancreatitis
Aida Habtezion, MD, MSc, Stanford University

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Jak2 Inhibition as a Therapeutic Approach for Chronic Pancreatitis
Gregory Lesinski, PhD, MPH, The Ohio State University

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Temporal Analysis of Tumor Suppressor Function in Pancreatic Cancer Development
Scott Lowe, PhD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

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Blocking Scaffold-Kinase Interactions to Inhibit Pancreatic Cancer
Julien Sage, PhD, Stanford University

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Characterization and Modulation of TGFbeta Activation in Pancreatic Fibrogenesis
Barbara Ulmasov, PhD, Saint Louis University

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2013 Grant Awardees

Rectal Indomethacin to Prevent Post-ERCP Pancreatitis
John Levenick, MD, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

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Role of Tunneling Nanotubes in Promoting Chemotherapy Resistance of Pancreatic cancer
Emil Lou, MD, PhD, University of Minnesota

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Role of the Polycomb Group Gene1 BMI1 in Pancreatic cancer
Marina Pasca Di Magliano, PhD, University of Michigan

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The Histone Deactylase SIRT6 Modulates Pancreatic Cancer Metabolism
Raul Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital

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Genetics of Constant Pain in Chronic pancreatitis
David Whitcomb, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

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The Role of Bacteria in Modulating Pancreatic Tumorigenesis
Constantinos Zambirinis, MD, Mres, New York University

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2012 Grant Awardees

Endocrine function in chronic pancreatitis: The role of insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, and the incretin axis
Melena Bellin, MD, University of Minnesota

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Dissecting the Pdx1 Master Switch in Pancreatitis Recovery
Howard Crawford, PhD, Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville

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Reconstituting pancreatic cancer development to discover early diagnostic biomarkers
Seung Kim, MD, PhD, Stanford University

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A Zebrafish Approach to Characterizing Human GWAS Genes for Pancreatic Cancer
Sahar Nissim, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

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2011 Grant Awardees

Natural Killer Cell Impact on Pancreatic Cancer Progression
Kerry Campbell, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center

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The Role of Toll-Like Receptors in Modulating Pancreatic Tumorigenesis
George Miller, MD, New York University School of Medicine

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Control of Pancreatic Acinar Cell Nuclearity, Ploidy and Proliferation
Charles Murtaugh, PhD, University of Utah Psychometric Testing of the Pancreatitis Quality of Life Instrument (PANQOLI) on Patients from the National Pancreas Foundation using Survey Monkey

Wahid Wassef, MD, University of Massachusetts Medical School

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Screening test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer
Kenneth Yu, MD, MS, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

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The role of Annexin A2 in metastasis and as a novel therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer
Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

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2010 Grant Awardees

Regulation of Pancreatic Fibrotic Responses by Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor (PEDF)
Chuhan Chung, MD, Yale University School of Medicine

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The Role of Stat3 signaling in the initiation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Akihisa Fukuda, MD, PhD, University of California San Francisco

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The Role of Dendritic Cells in Pancreatic Fibrosis and the Development of Pancreatic Neoplasia
Ashim Malhotra, MD, New York University School of Medicine

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Translational Studies of Circulating Pancreatic Epithelial Cells in Cancer Progression
Andrew Rhim, MD, University of Pennsylvania

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Role of Src in Antegrade Golgi Expansion and Autophagic Acinar Cell Death
Vijay Singh, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

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