These researchers dedicate their careers to finding new treatments and cures for people with cancer.
Dr. Brian Wolpin has dedicated his career to understanding and changing the trajectory of pancreatic cancer. From his early-career award from Conquer Cancer to cutting-edge research he’s presented at ASCO Annual Meeting, Dr. Wolpin is at the forefront of bringing hope to a diagnosis that historically has had too little of it.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers in the United States. This year alone, roughly 67,500 people will be diagnosed.1 It is often called a “silent” disease because symptoms rarely appear until the cancer has already spread, or metastasized, making early detection incredibly difficult.
For decades, progress has been measured in months, not years, and the disease has long resisted many of the breakthroughs seen in other cancers. As a gastrointestinal oncologist and physician-scientist, Dr. Wolpin tackles these challenges from every angle: from uncovering who is at risk to developing more effective, targeted treatments that could help patients live longer and better lives.
A Career Defined by Asking Better Questions
Long before he was leading major clinical trials and presenting research on the global stage, Dr. Wolpin was focused on foundational questions about pancreatic cancer: Who develops it, and why?
In 2009, early in his career, he submitted a proposal to Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, to study the biochemical and genetic risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer. A peer-review selection committee recognized the high-potential, forward-looking nature of his science and recommended him for a Career Development Award.
That early grant provided the critical support needed to pursue ideas that, at the time, were still emerging, such as connecting genetics, lifestyle factors, and biology to better understand how the disease develops and might be caught earlier.
It’s exactly the kind of work Conquer Cancer is designed to support: high-potential, forward-looking ideas that may not yet have widespread recognition but hold the promise to reshape the field.
And in Dr. Wolpin’s case, that early investment helped launch a research portfolio that would steadily expand in global scope and impact.
From Discovery to New Possibilities
Today, Dr. Wolpin is recognized as a leader in pancreatic cancer research, with work spanning early detection, disease biology, and treatment development. At the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, he spoke on the prestigious Plenary Session stage to share a remarkable new avenue of research: an experimental gene-targeting drug called daraxonrasib.
Scientists have long known that mutations in a particular gene — KRAS — play a role in fueling tumor growth in nearly all pancreatic cancers. Daraxonrasib works by inhibiting this mutant gene. The recent clinical trial presented by Dr. Wolpin showed that the drug doubled median survival for these pancreatic cancer patients, moving the timeline from 6.7 months on chemotherapy to 13.2 months with daraxonrasib — nearly double.
“In all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancers across all stages of disease, the five-year survival rate is approximately 131%, with the vast majority of patients passing away due to progression of their cancer,” Dr. Wolpin explains.
While the RAS-targeting work is ongoing, it represents a critical shift from broadly treating cancer with traditional chemotherapy to targeting its precise underlying causes. For patients, that shift means treatments that are both more effective and easier to tolerate.
A Leader in Cancer Care
Leading this clinical trial is far from the first major impact Dr. Wolpin has had in the world of clinical oncology. In 2025, OncLive named him a Giant of Cancer Care in the Gastrointestinal Oncology category for his groundbreaking contributions to early detection, personalized treatments, and targeted therapies.
He remains a prominent alum of Conquer Cancer, regularly chairing sessions at ASCO Annual Meetings and frequently speaking on how crucial funding is for the next generation of oncology innovators.
“Adequate funding represents the lifeline required to translate laboratory discoveries into real-world patient treatments,” Dr. Wolpin says. “And financial support through Conquer Cancer ensures that scientists have the resources required to keep early-career researchers in the oncology field.”
Your support provides the critical funding needed to identify and back high-potential scientific ideas—turning rare genetic mysteries into lifesaving realities for patients. Donate today.
Source:
1National Cancer Institute: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/pancreas.html
Last Updated: 5/31/26