In loving memory of her mother, Marie C. Martinson, Keep It Simple Syrup Founder Susan Martinson proudly supports The Lustgarten Foundation. As a Community Partner, Chef Sous LLC is committed to annual financial contributions to advance urgently needed pancreatic cancer research.

THE LUSTGARTEN FOUNDATION is the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world and has directed $188 million to research since inception. The Foundation funds scientific and clinical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pancreatic cancer; provides research information and clinical support services to patients, caregivers, and individuals at high risk; and increases public awareness and hope for those dealing with this disease.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: From basic science to the clinic, Lustgarten-funded researchers are at the forefront of the most promising breakthroughs. They are achieving significant milestones in understanding and treating this disease and in detecting it earlier—advancements that are already improving patient outcomes and enabling some patients to live longer. Research highlights include:

Keytruda®: Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) is the first immunotherapy treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer patients whose tumors are mismatch repair deficient, altering their ability to repair DNA. The Foundation funded this research, encouraged patients to get tested, and covered the cost of tumor testing.

CancerSEEK: Researchers developed a blood test called CancerSEEK that can detect the early presence of pancreatic cancer as part of a panel of eight common cancers and identify where the cancer originated in the body. The FDA recently granted “Fast Track” status for the pancreatic and ovarian cancer portions of CancerSEEK, accelerating the approval process of this important blood test.

Personalized Medicine: Researchers are tailoring therapy to each patient, based on his/her genetics and tumor characteristics, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. They are growing organoids—3D cell culture systems which reproduce a patient’s tumor in a dish to test it repeatedly with different drugs—and have demonstrated that organoids can accurately predict how a pancreatic cancer patient will respond to a variety of treatments. This translational technology offers the hope of personalized cancer treatments in the future.

Pancreatic Cancer Collective (the Collective): The Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer established the Collective to accelerate research for patients who desperately need better treatments. The Collective builds on the Foundation’s multiyear collaboration with SU2C, which has involved more than 400 investigators across nearly 70 leading research centers who have planned, started or completed nearly 30 clinical trials, with more trials set to open.

Dedicated Research Laboratories: Building upon the success of our first dedicated research laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, we have opened additional pancreatic cancer research laboratories at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins. Together, these facilities position the Foundation as the only non-profit in the country to have four labs dedicated to pancreatic cancer research, which means more resources, time and talent are being put toward this disease.

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND WALKS: Nearly 300 events throughout local communities are held each year, raising $1 million annually. To complement these community events, the Lustgarten Walk program encompasses more than 30 walks annually across nearly 20 states, raising more than $40 million to date.

Thanks to separate funding to support administrative expenses, 100% of your donation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research. Visit www.lustgarten.org or call 866.789.1000 for more information.