At a Turning Point for RAS-directed Therapies, Break Through Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation Launch New Pancreatic Cancer Initiative

Backed by a $16M investment, this collaborative effort will help define the next generation of combination therapy strategies for pancreatic cancer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At a pivotal moment for pancreatic cancer, Break Through Cancer and the Lustgarten Foundation today, with support from the Cinelli Family Foundation, announced a $16 million investment in the Conquering KRAS for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer TeamLab. Spanning six world-class cancer research institutions, this initiative aims to improve outcomes for one of the deadliest cancers by focusing on KRAS, a gene that is mutated in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases.

The initiative comes amid a sea of change in the field. After decades in which oncogenic RAS proteins were considered 'undruggable' a new generation of RAS-directed therapies is showing promise and delivering encouraging results for patients with pancreatic cancer. Yet, while these advances offer invaluable hope for patients and their families, important questions remain about how pancreatic tumors respond to RAS-directed therapy and how future treatment strategies may achieve more durable benefit. Through a first-of-its-kind correlative research study launched in 2024, researchers in the original Conquering KRAS in Pancreatic Cancer TeamLab have already assembled an unprecedented collection of patient tumor and blood samples that may help answer those questions.

Building on years of progress, the new initiative will support this multi-disciplinary team of scientists and clinicians from six world-class cancer research institutions including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and NYU Langone Health Perlmutter Cancer Center, to tackle these challenges through an integrated program of translational science and clinical research.

"Recent advances in RAS-targeted therapies have opened a new chapter in pancreatic cancer research" said Tyler Jacks, PhD, president of Break Through Cancer and renowned pancreatic cancer researcher. "This initiative is focused on what comes next – understanding how these therapies work in patients, the nature of primary and acquired resistance, and how we can develop treatment strategies that build upon the improvements of RAS-directed therapy alone."

The new funding will support two complementary efforts.

First, researchers will continue and build on the research emerging from the first-of-its-kind clinical correlative study launched in 2024 through the Conquering KRAS in Pancreatic Cancer TeamLab which collected tumor and blood samples before, during, and after treatment with Revolution Medicine's daraxonrasib – an investigational novel multi-selective RAS(ON) inhibitor that recently made headlines following phase 3 trial results in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Researchers now have the unprecedented opportunity to analyze these samples and create one of the most comprehensive pictures to date of how pancreatic cancers respond and adapt to RAS-directed therapy. Insights from this work will help identify biomarkers of response, uncover mechanisms of resistance and adaptation, and inform combination therapy strategies.

Second, researchers will establish a clinical study to evaluate next-generation treatment strategies informed by those discoveries. The TeamLab will explore combination therapies designed to enhance the benefit of KRAS-directed treatments, bringing together expertise in cancer biology, immunology, computational science, and patient care.

The effort builds upon the unique model of radical collaboration that defines Break Through Cancer, connecting researchers across leading cancer centers to share data, expertise, technologies, and patient insights in real-time. This approach is synergistic with Lustgarten's impact-driven research strategy, fueling bold science that deepens our understanding of pancreatic cancer and improves treatment outcomes.

"Pancreatic cancer research is entering a new era of possibility, and we must invest in the kind of collaborative science that transforms promising advances into meaningful progress for patients," said Linda Tantawi, CEO of the Lustgarten Foundation. "We are incredibly excited to support the next phase of the Conquering KRAS for Patients with Pancreatic Cancer TeamLab, uniting leading experts across institutions and disciplines to build on the momentum of recent discoveries. By accelerating collaboration and innovation, this initiative will answer critical questions, unlock new opportunities, and drive breakthroughs that shape the future of pancreatic cancer treatment."

The initiative reflects a shared commitment by Break Through Cancer, the Lustgarten Foundation, and the Cinelli Family Foundation to accelerate progress against pancreatic cancer by investing in collaborative science capable of moving discoveries from the laboratory to patients more quickly.

As RAS-directed therapies continue to advance, researchers believe the greatest opportunity may lie not in any single treatment, but in understanding how to deploy these therapies in combinations with other approaches to achieve lasting benefit.

About Break Through Cancer
Founded in 2021, Break Through Cancer empowers outstanding researchers and physicians to both intercept and find cures for several of the deadliest cancers by stimulating radical collaboration among outstanding cancer research institutions, including its founding partners: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The Foundation is supported by a Board of Directors from the five partner institutions and a Scientific Advisory Board of U.S. cancer experts. The Foundation was launched with an extraordinary challenge pledge of $250 million from Mr. and Mrs. William H. Goodwin, Jr. and their family, and the estate of William Hunter Goodwin III.

For further information, please visit the Foundation's website at www.breakthroughcancer.org.

About The Lustgarten Foundation
The Lustgarten Foundation is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world, funding preeminent pancreatic cancer research, driving the pursuit of bold and innovative science toward earlier detection and better treatments, and transforming pancreatic cancer into a curable disease. The Foundation funds research where creative risks yield high rewards to accelerate and expand life-saving treatment options. We believe time is everything to patients and their families, and that community is power. Lustgarten programs and events provide people affected by pancreatic cancer a voice and a place to create hope, together. For more information about the Lustgarten Foundation, visit lustgarten.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About The Cinelli Family Foundation
The Cinelli Family Foundation (CFF) was established in 2021 to honor the dreams of Al and Sharon Cinelli. Inspired by the transformative power of education and shaped by cancers that impacted the Cinelli family, the Foundation invests in two areas where progress is both urgent and possible: accelerating breakthroughs in blood, breast, and pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment, and supporting education research, innovative programs, and technologies to help reimagine educational ecosystems and radically improve learning outcomes. Based in Lawrence, Kansas, CFF is a national funder driven by the belief that science and learning are among the most powerful forces for human progress.

For more information, visit www.cinellifamilyfoundation.org.

Media Contact:
Soracha Ward
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SOURCE Break Through Cancer