The University of Chicago hosted the inaugural PancMidwest Pancreatic Cancer Research Symposium on May 10, 2024, gathering 130 multidisciplinary researchers and physicians to share cutting-edge research and foster collaborations aimed at advancing therapies for pancreatic cancer. The symposium, modeled after the West Coast’s PancWest event, addressed the urgent need for breakthroughs in preventing, detecting, and treating this highly lethal cancer, which is expected to affect over 66,000 Americans in 2024.
The conference was planned by Metabolism and Cancer Biology faculty, Kay MacLeod, Simon Schwörer, Scott Oakes, Daria Esterhazy, as well as Christopher Weber, Associate Professor of Pathology and Marisa Naujokas, Scientific Program Administrator. Key highlights included a plenary talk by Dr. Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, on current treatment challenges and testimony from pancreatic cancer survivor Robert Krull. Discussions focused on tumor microenvironment targeting, immune cell engagement, and KRas inhibitor resistance. The event, organized by UChicago Medicine’s Pancreatic Cancer Translational Group of Research Excellence (TGRE), aimed to generate actionable insights and collaborations to improve patient outcomes.
Read the full story at New Symposium unites pancreatic cancer researchers.