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From Early-Career Grants to Global Stages: Two Conquer Cancer Researchers Deliver Historic Patient Breakthroughs

Two Researchers

CHICAGO, Ill. — Taking the stage back-to-back at oncology’s most prestigious event—the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting Plenary Session—two past Conquer Cancer grant recipients presented historic Phase 3 clinical trial results. Their discoveries in pancreatic cancer and sarcoma will immediately change treatment for aggressive, traditionally resistant forms of cancer, bringing hope to families worldwide.

The Proven Pattern of Early Investment

In cancer research, the "early-career" window—just after training—is a high-stakes turning point where the field loses the most talent due to a lack of independent funding. By step-stretching this critical gap with targeted funding, our donors protect brilliant minds so they can pursue the complex questions that shape the future of medicine. We back the researchers who lead the science, anchoring their paths long before their final data ever makes a global headline.

Here is what two past Conquer Cancer-funded researchers presented today on the Plenary stage, the numbers to know, and what it means for families facing cancer right now:

Pancreatic Cancer: Doubling Precious Time with a Daily Pill

  • The Researcher: Dr. Brian Wolpin (2009 recipient of the Conquer Cancer Career Development Award)
  • The Trial: The RASolute 302 Study (Daraxonrasib vs. Standard Chemotherapy)

Pancreatic cancer has long been one of the toughest cancer diagnoses for families to face, as it is routinely found after it has already spread and strongly resists standard treatments. For patients whose advanced cancer has grown during or after initial treatments, today’s announcement rewrites the standard of care.

  • The Results: The Phase 3 trial revealed that a once-daily pill, daraxonrasib, successfully doubled median overall survival to 13 months (compared to just 6.5 months on standard chemotherapy). It also stopped the cancer from growing for about twice as long.
  • Why it Matters to Patients: This represents a massive shift away from broad, toxic chemotherapies. As a specialized targeted therapy, daraxonrasib acts as a master switch to turn off the abnormal KRAS protein driving the cancer's growth—proving highly effective regardless of a patient's specific genetic variant. Because it caused significantly fewer serious side effects (like rash and mouth sores), patients could experience less physical pain and an improved quality of life, allowing them to spend their time feeling well.

Sarcoma: Over Six Times Longer Tumor Control for a Rare Cancer

  • The Researcher: Dr. Mark Dickson (2009 Young Investigator Award & 2011 Career Development Award recipient)
  • The Trial: The SARC041 Trial (Abemaciclib vs. Placebo)

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) is a rare, highly aggressive cancer of the fat cells. Surgery is the primary treatment, but the cancer returns in about 2 out of 5 patients—often within two years. Because sarcomas are rare, they often lack the commercial funding incentives that drive larger disease research, leaving families with few options when traditional chemotherapies fail after just 2 to 3 months.

  • A 15-Year Journey in the Making: Dr. Dickson’s milestone on the Plenary stage is the ultimate proof of Conquer Cancer’s efforts to fund researchers early in their careers. In 2011, Conquer Cancer funded his proposal for a Phase 2 clinical trial of a CDK4 inhibitor in liposarcoma. Today, that exact scientific concept matured into a practice-changing Phase 3 triumph.
  • The Results: The trial proved that the daily targeted pill abemaciclib kept the cancer from worsening for nearly 10 months, compared to less than 2 months with a placebo. Remarkably, it completely shrank tumors in nearly 1 out of 10 patients—a milestone virtually unheard of in this disease.
  • Why it Matters to Patients: About 9 in 10 of these sarcomas are driven by an extra copy of the CDK4 gene, which forces cells to divide uncontrollably. Abemaciclib acts like a continuous brake on this genetic error. Early data shows a powerful survival extension: at the 25.5-month mark where half of the placebo group had passed away, more than half of the patients on abemaciclib were still alive. Side effects were entirely manageable, delivering immediate hope to an underserved community. This breakthrough also opens doors for many other solid tumors, with clinical trials already underway testing abemaciclib in kidney, ovarian, brain, and blood cancers.

A Note on Our Mission: The brilliant thinking, the late nights in the lab, and the life-changing results celebrated today belong entirely to Dr. Wolpin, Dr. Dickson, and their incredible teams. Conquer Cancer takes no credit for their specific clinical findings. But we take immense pride in knowing we were there at the very beginning to validate their scientific visions. Years before these breakthroughs made global headlines, donor support allowed us to back these doctors when they were establishing their independence and needed funding the most. Today is proof that when you believe in a researcher early on, you set the stage for historic clinical discoveries.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Somewhere right now, an exceptional researcher at an early-career crossroads is mapping out their first grant application to Conquer Cancer. We cannot predict their precise discoveries, but we know with certainty that if we stop backing them, the world will never find out what they could solve. Don't let a lifesaving breakthrough stop before it starts.

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