September 13, 2022:

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, along with its partner Nebraska Medicine, will have additional resources to aggressively pursue the development and testing of new therapies for pancreatic cancer following state support that was approved earlier this year.

The state funding for the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium member included support for the UNMC Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, led by Sunil Hingorani, MD, PhD, a highly accomplished and internationally recognized pancreatic cancer researcher and clinician. Dr. Hingorani joined UNMC in May, calling it a “a unique time in pancreas cancer research and clinical care.”

The field has developed a much deeper understanding of the many ways in which the disease evades detection and diagnosis, Dr. Hingorani said. “The timing could not be more perfect to capitalize on our new understanding of the disease through this extraordinary commitment and show of faith by the University of Nebraska, Nebraska Medicine, the state of Nebraska, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and numerous highly motivated individuals.” 

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said the state support would provide UNMC with critically important new resources for its scientists and physicians to develop and test new screening modalities and therapies for pancreatic cancer — which in many cases will be applicable to other solid tumors such as breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. The support builds on existing strengths at the center, which include strong clinical care teams and innovative research.

Dr. Hingorani said the goal of the new center will be to truly transform what is considered state-of-the-art in the early detection, diagnosis, chemoprevention and treatment of pancreas cancer. 

“Coalescing the outstanding talent already present at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, complemented by additional recruits as necessary, around a new facility together with sufficient resources, should enable us to succeed,” Dr. Hingorani said.

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten cancer centers united to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team-research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow.

About the Big Ten Conference:The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.