The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital Raises $2 Million To Establish Innovative Program To Prevent Stomach and Pancreatic Cancers

The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital is pleased to announce it has raised $2 million to establish PREVENT — a multidisciplinary program at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine — focused on prevention and early detection of stomach and pancreatic cancers.

Both of these are common cancers of the digestive system and have poor outcomes for patients. An increasing number of people are being diagnosed with stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, under age 50, and the disease has an overall five-year survival rate of 36%. The incidence of pancreatic cancer is also rising, while the disease’s five-year survival rate is stalled at just 13%.

WashU Medicine colleagues, pictured from left to left:

• Koushik Das, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
• Jeffrey Brown, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
• José Sáenz, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
• Matthew Ciorba, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
• Ramon Jin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Divisions of Gastroenterology and Oncology
• Tarin Bigley, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology

The PREVENT program builds on existing strengths in gastrointestinal cancer research at WashU Medicine, including a National Cancer Institute Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), one of only three SPOREs in the nation focused on pancreatic cancer.

Focusing on early stomach and pancreas cancer detection and prevention, the highly experienced team of WashU Medicine research scientists will collaborate to maximize resources and expertise. Built-in efficiencies include labs situated next to each other for enhanced communication and synergies with the Digestive Disease Research Cores Center in the Division of Gastroenterology.

This new philanthropic investment from the Foundation will:

• Support fellowships to attract and retain the best and brightest minds to the research teams in stomach and pancreatic cancers
• Develop leading-edge diagnostic technologies to identify early-stage disease
• Launch a novel imaging platform for detection of early pancreatic cancer
• Expand a tissue and living cell biobank, a critical tool that allows researchers to better understand these cancers and test new precision therapies

“Early detection is critical to saving lives, and it’s increasingly possible through this unique multidisciplinary collaboration we’ve established through donor support,” says Matthew Ciorba, MD, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and cancer researcher at WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “With our world-class team of experts, we are uniquely positioned to identify and propel the most promising ideas, ensuring that they swiftly translate into real-world benefits for patients. We’re grateful for this support that has the power to catalyze progress and save lives.”

The partnership between WashU Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital is fundamental to achieving medical breakthroughs through research, which is translated into patient care advancements at the hospital and clinical level.

“Through our productive partnership with WashU Medicine, The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital is able to help donors invest in this impactful research that will ultimately save more lives in our community,” says David Bruns, vice president and executive director of the Foundation. “We are grateful to our donors for their significant philanthropic support of this innovative program. Together with this impressive WashU Medicine team, we are giving more hope to patients through prevention and early detection of two of the most devastating cancers.”