On November 12-15 2025, the American Pancreatic Association (APA) held their 56th annual meeting in San Diego, CA. This gathering brings together almost 500 clinicians and researchers from around the world to share and discuss the latest developments in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer research. On the eve of the conference, the Friends of the APA Foundation held a reception to celebrate Agi Hirshberg and the 20th anniversary of the Seed Grant Program. The conference opened with the Hirshberg Symposium, proudly hosted by The Hirshberg Foundation, a longtime APA sponsor, and focused on the critical issue of cachexia in pancreatic cancer.

The pancreatic cancer sessions covered a wide range of topics, including early detection and surveillance, diabetes, cachexia, and basic biology. Talks focused on AI in high-risk patient identification, new blood-based tests for early detection, and increased understanding of cellular changes from potentially pre-cancerous cysts to tumors – highlight the research efforts advancing screening in hopes to increase the percentage of patients diagnosed with early stage, resectable disease. 

Since 2009, the APA has presented the Hirshberg Award for Best Abstract in Pancreatic Cancer. This year’s winners were Shangyou Zhen (Title: From Perineural Stroma to Drug Escape: CAFs Rewire Phospholipids and Anchor P-gp to Drive Oxaliplatin Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer) and Zhijun Zhou (Title: Metabolic Reprogramming Promotes Muscle Wasting and Immune Evasion in Pancreatic Cancer). These abstracts demonstrate the importance of understanding the elements of pancreatic tumor microenvironments including cell types present other than the tumor cells in translating biology into potential therapeutics and highlight another key facet of the ongoing achievements in pancreatic cancer research.

A testament to the success of the Hirshberg Seed Grant Program, a number of former and current awardees were speakers at the meeting. Christopher Wolfgang (2006) gave the opening talk at the Hirshberg Symposium on the clinical perspective on cachexia. In the “Pancreas Development and Lineage Plasticity” session Stephen Pandol (2005) spoke about how tumor cells influence insulin producing cells in diabetic pancreatic cancer patients and Kathleen DelGiorno (2018) detailed an early event in cancer development called acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) and her lab’s work identification of new cell types and work to understand how they contribute to tumor formation. 

Our newest awardee, Vineet Kumar Gupta (2025), a contributor to the “Young Investigators Abstract Session” explained how inflammatory signaling that occurs with alcoholic pancreatitis results in immune cells infiltrating the pancreas and progression to pancreatic cancer.  Bomi Lee (2023) discussed her work using new single cell techniques to differentiate immune/fibroblast subsets in human pancreatitis. In a session focused on “Training the Next Generation of Pancreatitis Researchers” Jami Saloman (2016) spoke about the challenges and opportunities in mentoring and funding for pancreatitis research. Peter Hegyi (2023) gave two different talks, the first a global perspective on diabetes in pancreatitis from the Hungarian Study Group and the second presentation compared low and high nutrition in the treatment of early pancreatitis. It is an indication of the success of our Seed Grant Program to see past awardees shaping the future of pancreatic cancer research and mentoring the next generation. 

Due to federal funding cuts to research across the nation, programs like ours are more competitive and researchers are in greater need. The Hirshberg Seed Grant and Catalyst Grant programs are more essential than ever to help researchers and clinicians accomplish the groundbreaking work to increase the survival of pancreatic cancer patients and improve their quality of life.

Our Seed Grant Program has fostered an environment where research can bloom. As we mark 20 years since our first cohort of grantees, it is inspiring to reflect on the impact of our early support and see all that is being accomplished.

As we celebrate two decades of discovery, innovation, and hope through our Seed Grant Program, we recognize the urgent need to ensure that research moves beyond the first step and into clinical practice. Anna Gukovskaya, PhD, embodies this mission. Her career stands as a powerful example of how early support from the Seed Grant Program can fuel breakthroughs that shape the future of pancreatic cancer research.

In 2005, Dr. Gukovskaya received one of the very first Hirshberg Foundation Seed Grants which was pivotal for research in her laboratory. Subsequently, the preliminary data and hypotheses developed by Dr. Gukovskaya and her colleagues led to the first-ever NIH Program (P01) Grant focused on the pathogenic mechanisms of pancreatitis. The grant, awarded to UCLA in 2014, with Dr. Gukovskaya as primary investigator (PI), secured more than $8 million in NIH funding to 5 institutions across the US to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms that initiate and drive pancreatitis, a major risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

Her laboratory at UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) became the central hub for this project, which produced nearly 50 publications. Her work identified how injured pancreatic acinar cells trigger the inflammatory response that defines pancreatitis, and that the dysfunction of organelles within acinar cells initiates and drives pancreatitis. This groundbreaking work continues to shape the field by illuminating how organelle damage and impaired autophagy contribute to pancreatic tumorigenesis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

In 2025, she was named recipient of the George E. Palade Prize, the highest honor from the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP). Named after Nobel Laureate George E. Palade, who transformed understanding of protein trafficking in the pancreatic acinar cells, the Palade Prize honors scientists whose work has significantly advanced the field of pancreatic biology and disease. Dr. Gukovskaya was recognized for her pioneering research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Gukovskaya, a leading scientist at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, serves as Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is also Director of the Pancreatic Research Group at UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and a VA Medical Research Career Scientist. Since 2003, she has been a professor at UCLA, where her research has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Over her career, Dr. Gukovskaya has published more than 160 scientific papers and reviews, has advised seven PhD students, and mentored more than 80 MD and PhD postdoctoral scholars, trainees and students from around the world.

Looking ahead, Dr. Gukovskaya remains confident that basic science combined with clinical research, particularly clinical trials, will produce new therapies for pancreatic cancer. She emphasized that this “progress depends on a national commitment to protecting and strengthening the future of scientific research.”

Her trajectory reflects what is possible when bold ideas receive early support. The Hirshberg Seed Grant Program has launched many careers like hers, yet today the challenge has shifted. Initial funding alone cannot sustain the momentum required to bring laboratory insights to the clinic. That is why the Foundation has introduced Beyond the Seed: from Bench to Breakthroughs, an initiative designed to expand support and bridge the critical gap between discovery and patient care.

By investing at a higher level, we can ensure that researchers like Dr. Gukovskaya continue to advance their work and deliver the breakthroughs patients urgently need. The past twenty years have proven the power of a Seed Grant to spark innovation. The next twenty demand that we go further, so that every promising idea has the chance to become a lifesaving treatment.

The nationwide freeze on federal cancer research funding is a pivotal moment, with the future of countless discoveries hanging in the balance, for patients and for the scientists working on their behalf. In early August, the National Science Foundation froze 300 of UCLA’s research grants and the National Institutes of Health suspended 500 grants in an unprecedented move.

UCLA is the Hirshberg Foundation’s main research hub, home to the Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases, three laboratories, and our annual Symposium for Patients and Caregivers. The impact is immediate and deeply personal for our community. Earlier in the year, the Department of Defense Funding for pancreatic cancer research was slashed by 57%, from $1.5 billion to $650 million, having a ripple effect on established researchers and new budding scientists alike.

So, what has changed since the initial cuts in April? This new reality has sparked renewed determination. The Hirshberg Foundation’s Seed Grant Program received more than 178 applications this year, a record number that reflects both the urgency of the crisis and the resolve of scientists determined to keep discoveries alive. As Dr. O. Joe Hines, Chair and Executive Medical Director of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, reminds us: “Hundreds of projects at UCLA are frozen. This is not just numbers on a page; it represents careers disrupted, trials delayed, and patients waiting longer for answers.”

Cancer research is a long and complex journey. Developing a single new therapy often requires 10 to 20 years of rigorous, collaborative work across many disciplines. Progress builds slowly, step by step, through clinical trials and peer-reviewed studies. Yet with federal research dollars down 31% in the past year, not only are new projects stalling, but ongoing studies that were already showing promise are being cut short. When this happens, the result is what many experts are calling “incalculable losses” – discoveries that may never see the light of day and potential breakthroughs left unfinished.

The challenges extend beyond the bench. Cuts to indirect, or facilities and administrative, costs strip institutions of the resources that keep research running, from laboratory equipment and data systems to compliance oversight and staff who protect patient safety. UCLA’s unique infrastructure cannot simply be replaced. When funding is slashed, the loss reverberates differently in every center, threatening the stability of ecosystems that take decades to create. No two cancer centers are the same. As Dr. Hines emphasizes, “We cannot allow a funding gap to silence innovation. Patients and families battling pancreatic cancer deserve more than unfinished experiments; they deserve breakthroughs.”

While federal proposals for fiscal year 2026 include an $18 billion reduction to NIH’s budget, a $1.6 billion cut to the National Cancer Institute, hope remains stronger than hardship. Thanks to our donors, the Hirshberg Foundation has already funded more than 135 projects through our Seed Grant Program, fueling advances in early detection, immunotherapy, and precision medicine. Your support is already making a difference, and every gift helps ensure researchers can keep pursuing discoveries that bring us closer to a cure.

Our new initiative, Beyond the Seed: Bridge to Breakthroughs, exists for moments exactly like this. When federal funding falters, philanthropy ensures that researchers remain at work, clinical trials continue, and patients are not left waiting. As Lisa Manheim, Executive Director of the Hirshberg Foundation, affirms: “Despite federal cuts, the spirit of discovery continues. With philanthropic support, we can ensure that promising science doesn’t end in the lab but finds its way to the clinic.”

Progress in pancreatic cancer research has never been easy, but it has always been worth it. Every breakthrough has been made possible because someone believed in the science and chose to act. Together, we will Never Give Up, and with your partnership, we can ensure that promising ideas move beyond the lab and into the hands of patients and families who need them most.

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. Survival remains low in part because most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited. For patients with early, localized tumors, surgery, often combined with chemotherapy, offers the only potential cure. Yet more than 80% of these patients experience recurrence, highlighting the urgent need for new strategies.

Over the last decade, immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancers such as melanoma and lung cancer. These therapies harness the body’s own immune system to detect and destroy tumor cells. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer has been largely resistant to this approach.

A recent, early-stage clinical trial, AMPLIFY-201, has shown promising results in reducing relapse by treating patients with a cancer vaccine after surgery. The phase I clinical trial was co-led by Dr. Zev Wainberg, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases. Dr. Wainberg has also presented on advances in chemotherapy at the Agi Hirshberg Symposium on Pancreatic Cancer.

The study enrolled patients with pancreatic cancer or colorectal cancer (CRC) who had undergone surgery but still showed minimal residual disease (MRD). MRD is when no tumors are visible on scans but tumor cells or elevated biomarkers such as CA19-9 are detectable in the blood. Patients in the trial received the ELI-002 2P vaccine, which contains small peptides designed to train the immune system’s T cells to identify and destroy the remaining tumor cells to prevent relapse.

Unlike many cancer vaccines that are personalized for each patient after the tumor has been biopsied and sequenced, ELI-002 2P is an “off-the-shelf” treatment. The vaccine used peptides to activate T cells to identify mutant versions of a protein called KRAS. Mutated KRAS is a driver mutation for 50% of all colorectal cancers and more than 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) tumors. The vaccine specifically targets two specific KRAS mutations, G12D and G12R, which have been found in a high percentage of tumors. This shared vulnerability allows one standardized vaccine to be used across many patients.

The vaccine’s design is also novel. Each peptide is linked to a lipophilic tail that binds albumin, a protein in the blood. The albumin allows the peptides to “hitchhike” directly to lymph nodes, where T cells are activated. The peptides, along with an adjuvant, get taken up by dendritic cells, which present the peptides and prime T cells for attack. Once activated, these T cells circulate through the body, ready to recognize and eliminate cancer cells harboring KRAS mutations.

In the AMPLIFY-201 trial, 25 patients with pancreatic or colorectal cancer received six vaccine doses over eight weeks, followed by a rest period, then four booster doses. The vaccine was well tolerated: nearly half of patients reported only mild side effects such as fatigue, injection-site soreness, or muscle pain. Importantly, no patients experienced serious immune-related toxicities such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS). CRS is an acute systemic inflammatory response characterized by fever and multiple organ dysfunction.

The immune responses were striking. After more than 19 months of follow-up, 68% of patients developed KRAS-specific T cell responses linked to reductions in circulating tumor DNA. Of these patients, 11 have shown no evidence of new tumor growth on imaging, and six achieved complete clearance of tumor biomarkers. Even more promising, many patients had T cells that recognized additional tumor proteins beyond the KRAS mutations targeted by the vaccine, a phenomenon called epitope spreading, that further broadens their immune defense against cancer cells.

While larger studies are needed, these early results suggest that cancer vaccines, both “off-the-shelf” and personalized, may finally offer a way to reduce relapse rates for pancreatic cancer patients after surgery. For a disease long resistant to immunotherapy, AMPLIFY-201 represents a hopeful advance and an important step toward more durable outcomes.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our Seed Grant Program, we’re proud to highlight a new generation of researchers leading the charge to cure pancreatic cancer. Among them is Dr. Evan Abt, a 2022 Seed Grant Awardee whose research is helping to reshape the future of treatment. This year, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Abt as the Honorary Medical Chair for the 28th Annual LA Cancer Challenge and the captain of the UCLA Health team.

Dr. Abt is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. His research explores the intersection of cancer metabolism and immune regulation to uncover how pancreatic cancers evade detection by the immune system.

Supported by a Hirshberg Foundation Seed Grant, Dr. Abt’s research identified a key metabolic mechanism that allows pancreatic tumors to suppress immune responses. This research was conducted in collaboration with his UCLA mentors, Dr. Tim Donahue, Chief of Surgical Oncology and Dr. Caius Radu, Vice-Chair, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. Their studies revealed that pancreatic cancer cells produce excessive amounts of a metabolite called adenosine, which dampens the immune system’s ability to attack the tumor.

With an expertise in the crosstalk between metabolism and immune responses, Dr. Abt applied his Seed Grant funding to uncover and target this adenosine process. This work has opened the door for new combination therapies that include adenosine inhibitors in combination with checkpoint inhibitors to enhance immune responses against pancreatic cancer.

“By understanding how tumors adapt metabolically and immunologically, we can design smarter therapies that overcome those defenses,” says Dr. Abt. “This research has been a deeply collaborative effort among UCLA scientists and clinicians. The support from the Hirshberg Foundation allows us to work together to tackle this devastating disease.”

Dr. Abt’s impact extends beyond the lab; he is also committed to mentoring the next generation of pancreatic cancer researchers. One of his students, Ella Dunderdale, received support from the Hirshberg Foundation to continue performing research over the summer during her academic break. “The talent, creativity, and dedication of our junior scientists is truly remarkable,” Dr. Abt notes. “I’m incredibly thankful for the Hirshberg Foundation’s support of their training.”

Dr. Abt will bring his passion and dedication to the LA Cancer Challenge this October, rallying the UCLA Health team and helping us raise critical funds for pancreatic cancer research. By supporting early-career scientists like Dr. Abt, our Seed Grant Program continues to fuel the breakthroughs that will one day lead to a cure.