The grants support a new generation of research that is collaborative, cross-institutional, and deeply innovative. The 2025 recipients are tackling some of the most urgent and complex challenges in pancreatic cancer—from using AI to flag high-risk patients for screening, to developing dual-targeting CAR T cells that attack both tumors and their fibrotic defenses, to uncovering how diabetes-linked DNA damage may trigger cancer. Their work spans early detection, immunotherapy, metabolic vulnerabilities, and precision medicine—and reflects the kind of interdisciplinary, translational science that is urgently needed to improve outcomes for patients.
2025 Stephenson Scholar Grant Recipients
Dr. Renier Brentjens and Dr. Leonid Cherkassky (Roswell Park)
Engineering Circuit-controlled T Cell Differentiation and Restructuring the Pancreatic Cancer Stroma to Optimize PDAC-targeted CAR T Cell Therapy for Clinical TranslationCreating next-generation CAR T cells that target both pancreatic tumors and their fibrotic stroma, using synthetic promoters to fine-tune T cell behavior, offering a promising new direction for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Robert Grant (Princess Margaret/UHN)
Applying Artificial Intelligence to Electronic Health Records to Guide Pancreatic Cancer Screening
Utilizing large language models to analyze EHR data and flag high-risk individuals for screening—embedding AI directly into hospital systems to enable scalable early detection. Dr. Costas Lyssiotis (University of Michigan)
Lysosomal Lipid Homeostasis is a Clinically Exploitable Vulnerability in KRAS-Inhibited Pancreatic Cancer
Targeting a unique metabolic vulnerability in KRAS-mutant tumors using clinically relevant drugs and synthetic lethality, with durable cures shown in preclinical models. Dr. Sarah Shuck (City of Hope)
From Blood Sugar to Tumor Growth: How Diabetes Fuels Pancreatic Cancer Onset
Investigating how the sugar byproduct methylglyoxal leads to DNA mutations associated with pancreatic cancer and developing a novel blood-based screening tool. Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden (MIT)
Assessment of Pancreas Organ Health for Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection
Developing a multimodal platform that combines stool, blood, and CT imaging to detect pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear and leveraging changes in organ function as early warning signs. Dr. Forest White & Dr. Tyler Jacks (MIT)
Identification of Treatment-Associated Tumor Antigens for Targeted Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer
Using mass spectrometry to identify new peptide antigens that emerge after KRAS inhibition, enabling novel vaccine and BiTE strategies that link targeted therapy with immunotherapy. “These scientists’ pioneering approaches represent the future of pancreatic cancer research,” said A. Emmet Stephenson Jr., co-founder of SGPCRI. “Their work exemplifies the kind of innovative, collaborative thinking that the Stephenson initiative was created to support.”
“Pancreatic cancer took my mother far too soon, but my father and I know that groundbreaking science can change the future for so many other families who have faced this disease,” said Tessa Stephenson Brand. “These grants are about hope, urgency, and the belief that progress is possible.”
The Stephensons made their investment in honor of Toni Stephenson, loving wife and mother who, after surviving lymphoma, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2020.
“Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to detect and treat, but we are making meaningful progress,” said Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden, the Lester Wolfe Chair in Molecular Biology and Professor of Biology at MIT. “We’re particularly encouraged by the potential to identify changes in normal pancreas function that could enable earlier detection—when treatment is most effective. The opportunity to rigorously test this idea is incredibly exciting, and I’m deeply grateful to the Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute for supporting this ambitious work. Their investment in innovative research is helping move discoveries closer to the patients who need them most.”
A Collaborative Vision for a Global Challenge
The Stephenson Scholar Grants represent the largest source of private funding for pancreatic cancer research around the globe. Pancreatic cancer remains the deadliest cancer with a five-year survival rate of just 13% in the United States, impacting hundreds of thousands of families each year. The grants come at a time when federal funding for cancer research—already disproportionately low for pancreatic cancer—is facing an uncertain future.
These grants reflect the Institute’s commitment to building a global, collaborative research ecosystem. This year’s recipients span leading institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and their projects are designed to bridge disciplines, labs, and clinical settings. The winners were selected from a competitive pool of 188 applications spanning six continents, following a rigorous review by the Stephenson Scientific Advisory Board, comprising some of the world’s foremost experts in pancreatic cancer.
The grants are part of a broader vision launched with a transformative $150 million gift from A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand to accelerate discovery, foster partnership, and bring hope to patients and families worldwide. They selected City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with a national footprint, to help facilitate the SGPCRI’s various initiatives and bring together pancreatic cancer leaders in the search for new breakthroughs.
“Congratulations to the inaugural recipients of the Stephenson Global Scholar Grants,” said Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., chair of the Stephenson Scientific Advisory Board and distinguished professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, part of City of Hope. “These awards support transformative approaches—from assessing pancreatic health and enabling earlier detection to advancing the latest immunotherapies. There has never been a more important time to unite around high-impact science. This teamwork between visionary philanthropists and some of the world’s leading cancer institutions is bringing us closer to a future where pancreatic cancer is no longer a death sentence. We are also deeply grateful to the members of the Scientific Advisory Board for their wisdom and thoughtful deliberation in guiding this effort.”
For more information about the Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute and the Stephenson Global Scholar Grants, visit sgpcri.global.
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About the Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute
The Stephenson Global Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute (SGPCRI) is dedicated to transforming the future of pancreatic cancer research through groundbreaking innovation, global collaboration and strategic funding initiatives. Established through a transformative $150 million gift from philanthropists A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand, SGPCRI is committed to advancing early detection, pioneering treatments and high-impact research to improve patient outcomes. Working with leading scientists, clinicians and institutions worldwide, SGPCRI fosters collaboration to accelerate breakthroughs in the fight against one of the world’s most challenging cancers. For more information, visit us on our website or follow us on LinkedIn and X.
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