UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member Channing Der, PhD, is among four accomplished cancer researchers to join the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s prestigious board.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network announced the newest additions to its Scientific and Medical Advisory Board on July 21 in Manhattan Beach, CA. Among the four new members appointed is Channing Der, PhD, the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Pharmacology at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Der joined three other researchers – Howard Crawford, PhD from the University of Michigan; Hedy Kindler, MD from the University of Chicago and Nipun Merchant, MD from the University of Miami – in receiving this honor. The Network also announced a new chair for the Advisory Board, Steven Leach, MD from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Part of the first team to discover the RAS family of oncogenes, now known to be the most commonly mutated oncogenes in human cancer, Dr. Der has been internationally recognized fort his contributions to the understanding of RAS regulation of cellular growth and differentiation in normal and cancerous cells.
The Der Lab at UNC Lineberger has a long-term goal for developing anti-RAS drugs for cancer treatment and was recently awarded several grants to support that work, including a Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Research Acceleration Grant. Dr. Der is an active supporter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and he and his lab regularly participate in the Raleigh-Durham Purple Stride race under the name “Research RAScals.”
About the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
The Pancreatic Cancer Network’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board provides scientific and clinical expertise to guide the organization in planning and implementing their research initiatives, as well as their information and education services for patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The Board is composed of leading cancer scientists, clinicians and healthcare professionals from institutions across the United States who specialize in pancreatic cancer.
About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. Together, we can Wage Hope in the fight against pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics and better treatments and increase chances of survival.