The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) has announced a $25 million gift from the family of Skip Viragh for research initiatives focused on early detection and treatment options for the disease.

PanCAN will use the gift to advance several of its strategic research initiatives including a clinical trial focused on accelerating the approval of new treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients. Funding will also support PanCAN’s Early Detection Initiative (EDI), with a goal of developing a strategy to diagnose pancreatic cancer when surgery is still possible, and PanCAN’s Therapeutic Accelerator Award, an initiative focused on changing the status quo in clinical trials to advance new pancreatic cancer therapies. According to PanCAN, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with a five-year survival rate of 12 percent.

The gift was made in honor of Skip Viragh, an influential investment fund innovator who died of pancreatic cancer in 2003. The Viragh family has made a significant investment in PanCAN over the years—a total of $70.4 million to date, including $25 million through the Skip Viragh Foundation in 2018. Their initial gifts were used for grants to encourage more scientists to build a career in pancreatic cancer research. More recently, the family helped fund the launch of Precision Promise and EDI, PanCAN research initiatives designed to transform the way pancreatic cancer is detected and treated.

“We are extremely grateful to Skip’s family for their generosity and for supporting PanCAN’s bold vision for accelerating progress for this disease,” said PanCAN president and CEO Julie Fleshman. “Their investment will help us build on the important and innovative research we are doing to move the needle on this disease more rapidly.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/dusanpetkovic)