Stephenson Global Prize Funds Enhanced Pancreatic Cancer Research
Pancreatic cancer research is accelerating. City of Hope® is at the forefront of many leading-edge efforts, opening the door to better therapeutic options for this hard-to-treat disease.
The Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute, which was founded in partnership with City of Hope, recently honored several incredible scientists whose work is changing how we understand and treat pancreatic cancer. Kevan Shokat, Ph.D., a professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco, received the annual $1 million Stephenson Global Prize. Ajay Goel, Ph.D., AGAF, chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope, received one of eight prestigious Stephenson Global Scholar Awards. Together, their forward-thinking advancements signal a sea change for people with pancreatic cancer. It’s a pivot from limited treatment options after diagnosis of advanced disease toward survivorship.
These awards are funded by a $150 million transformational gift from longtime City of Hope supporter and philanthropist A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and his daughter Tessa Stephenson Brand. This gift funds innovative pancreatic cancer research and recognizes a lifetime of achievement by scientists dedicated to breakthroughs that save lives.
“This year’s awards feel especially meaningful,” Stephenson said. “We are seeing discoveries once confined to the laboratory become new treatments for patients. That’s exactly the kind of progress that this prize was created to recognize and accelerate.”
Turning Off Pancreatic Cancer’s Main Engine
For years, KRAS, an aggressive cancer-driving protein, has been a stumbling block in pancreatic cancer research. When mutated, it is responsible for nearly 90% of all pancreatic cancer cases. Last year’s Stephenson Global Prize recipient, Frank McCormick, Ph.D., discovered how the protein sends its cancer-promoting signals. But KRAS’s slippery surface initially made it difficult to target with cancer-fighting drugs.
“Developing drugs against KRAS was thought to be impossible,” Dr. McCormick said. “Undruggable has been the key phrase that people use — an irrational target.”
Dr. Shokat found a solution. Using chemistry, he built on Dr. McCormick’s work and, in 2013, found a way to turn KRAS off. By shutting down this engine for uncontrolled cell growth, he paved the way for drug developers to create a new generation of targeted therapies. It makes this historically undruggable disease druggable.
Early Access for City of Hope Patients
One of the biggest advances to come from this work is daraxonrasib, a pancreatic cancer drug. Along with 59 other centers worldwide, City of Hope enrolled patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial to test this first oral, daily pill that targets KRAS proteins driving pancreatic cancer. The trial nearly doubled the survival of stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients, extending their lives nearly 6 months longer compared to patients receiving chemotherapy. Trial patients also had notable improvements in pain, appetite and quality of life.
Eligible City of Hope patients were among the first to receive the pancreatic cancer therapy through an FDA-authorized Expanded Access Program. The expanded access program brought the therapy to City of Hope locations across the country, including locations in Southern California, Phoenix, Chicago, and Atlanta. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved daraxonrasib in August 2026.
Enabling Detection at the Earliest Stages
The biggest challenge with pancreatic cancer has been its ability to avoid detection until the advanced stages. At that point, treatment options are limited and the five-year survival rate is between 3% and 17%. A team led by Dr. Goel created a tool to overcome this hurdle, earning one of eight Stephenson Scholar Grants in recognition of their early detection efforts.
Dr. Goel’s team developed a liquid biopsy, called PANXEON, that can identify 87% of stage 1 and 2 pancreatic cancers with few false positives. The test also accurately diagnoses high-grade dysplasia, a precancerous condition that is often called “stage 0” pancreatic cancer, 64% of the time.
“Pancreatic cancer remains so deadly largely because we find it after the window for cure has begun to close,” Dr. Goel said, noting that the team published their results in Nature Medicine. “For patients, these findings represent progress toward finding pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear and while more treatment options remain available.”
PANXEON is the first blood test to combine three pancreatic cancer biomarkers: circulating microRNAs, exosomal microRNAs and the CA19-9 protein. Using artificial intelligence, the test combines these measurements to estimate a patient’s cancer risk and determine who may need additional evaluation.
Leading the Way in Pancreatic Cancer Research
As a leader in pancreatic cancer research, City of Hope is paving the way for the next generation of early detection research, KRAS-targeted therapies and cancer vaccines. Through a first-of-its-kind national clinical trials network, patients have access to innovative, life-extending treatment options.
Philanthropic funding — like the Stephenson Global Prize and Stephenson Global Scholar Award — is integral to sustaining this forward-thinking work. With this support, City of Hope’s talented researchers can continue to push the boundaries of pancreatic cancer research, exploring new avenues of early detection and individualized treatments that improve patient outcomes.