Internationally Renowned Cancer Immunologist Elizabeth M. Jaffee, M.D. Joins the Lustgarten Foundation as its Chief Medical Advisor

WOODBURY, N.Y., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lustgarten Foundation announced today the appointment of Elizabeth M. Jaffee, M.D., the immediate past president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), as its new Chief Medical Advisor. Dr. Jaffee is an internationally recognized expert in cancer immunology, with specific expertise in preclinical and early clinical development of immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer.

"We are at a pivotal time in the Foundation's history where we need to expand our platform for moving innovative discoveries from our laboratories into multi-center clinical studies across the country," said David Tuveson, M.D., Ph.D., the Foundation's Chief Scientist and director of its dedicated research laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and director of the Cancer Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "Dr. Jaffee, who has extensive experience building translational models at Johns Hopkins, is the ideal person to oversee this incredibly important and complex work."

Dr. Jaffee is the Dana and Albert "Cubby" Broccoli Professor of Oncology, and Deputy Director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. A pioneer in pancreatic cancer vaccine development, Dr. Jaffee is also the co-director of the gastrointestinal cancer and diseases program, and co-director of the Skip Viragh Center for Pancreas Cancer Clinical Research and Patient Care at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Jaffee will focus on the following key priorities:

• Expanding the clinical research program to translate Lustgarten Foundation sponsored scientific findings for patient benefit
• Utilizing personalized medicine approaches and new therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer
• Establishing Lustgarten Foundation Centers of Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Excellence
• Developing a national pancreatic cancer database that integrates data from sponsored clinical and preclinical trials

"I am thrilled to be taking on this new role for the Foundation," Dr. Jaffee said. "Advances in science and technology have never been greater. We have the potential to move these advances rapidly into real treatments and preventative strategies for pancreatic cancer patients, which will result in meaningful patient outcomes faster."

Dr. Jaffee holds six vaccine patents.  Part of her role as Chief Medical Advisor will be to further develop these vaccines.  This work is especially meaningful for the Lustgarten Foundation as Marc Lustgarten, one of the Foundation's co-founders, was one of the first patients Dr. Jaffee treated with a vaccine.

"We have come a long way since Dr. Jaffee treated Marc," said Kerri Kaplan, the Foundation's President and CEO. "It's exciting to see the momentum and to have Dr. Jaffee now leading our clinical research program. Early in her career, she was one of our first grant recipients. Today, she is one of the world's eminent scholars and scientists working on vaccines and immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer. She is an integral part of our history and our future."

About the Lustgarten Foundation
The Lustgarten Foundation is America's largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. Based in Woodbury, N.Y., the Foundation supports research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer, facilitates dialogue within the medical and scientific community, and educates the public about the disease through awareness campaigns and fundraising events. Since its inception, the Lustgarten Foundation has directed $165 million to research and assembled the best scientific minds with the hope that one day, a cure can be found. Thanks to separate funding to support administrative expenses, 100% of every donation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research. For more information, visit www.lustgarten.org.

SOURCE The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research

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