Pancreatic Cancer Association of Western New York is a nonprofit organization of volunteers committed to raising awareness of this disease and raising hope by contributing financial resources to help advance local research efforts.

In just two years $76,000 has been raised and donated to the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Center pancreatic cancer research, conducted by Drs. Aram Hezel and Hartmut Land. The $30,000 raised in November 2010 at our inaugural 5K Walk was used to advance preliminary research in understanding the basic molecular changes that occur in the pancreas, and how those changes promote cancer formation, growth and metastasis. They have learned that a certain protein is activated in the course of pancreatic cancer development and when activated, it’s in the earliest stages of cancer. The focus is on understanding the role this protein plays in cancer development and if it can possibly be identified as an early detection factor. The $46,000 raised in November 2011 at our second annual 5K Walk will help fund further research in this area and the hope for a long term cure.

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