Evening of Hope fundraiser scheduled for Sept. 19 at The Inverness Denver
By Peter Jones
2026 continues to be a big year for the pancreatic cancer community, especially here in the Centennial state, where a broad range of groundbreaking research, supported by Wings of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Research, continues to take place at the University of Colorado Cancer Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
Sadly, this has also been yet another year of tragedy. One of the most difficult of cancer diagnoses has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Americans, including Grammy winner D’Angelo, former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Phil Garner and Chris Affleck, the mother of actors Ben and Casey. Nearly 150 die every day in the United States.
The reasons for pancreatic cancer being so challenging range from the physical placement of the pancreas in the body to the dearth of effective treatments and screening and the relative failure of many experimental drugs.
But there is more than a glimmer of hope.
In the face of both increasing challenges and inspiring breakthroughs, the second annual Rocky Mountain Pancreatic Cancer Symposium was held April 30 at the CU Cancer Center. The conference—presented by the Cancer Center in partnership with Wings of Hope and the CU Division of Surgical Oncology—attracted prestigious oncologists from as far away as Germany, Sweden, Japan and South Korea.
The timely gathering at a facility that has become an epicenter for trailblazing exploratory trials was a rare opportunity for physicians and researchers from around the world to share their recent work and their perspectives on the everchanging worlds of research, diagnosis and surgical advancement.
“To have these brilliant minds come together to share with one another their latest innovations on all things pertaining to pancreatic cancer was incredibly fascinating,” said Maureen Shul, Wings of Hope’s founder and executive director. “Just this year, there have been a number of incredible breakthroughs concerning the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and you realize how critical the collaboration is among doctors, institutions and public-private partnerships to keep the research progress moving.”
Among the breakthroughs that have taken place this year:
· A Spanish biochemist announced a new triple-combination therapy that achieved complete regression of tumors in mice models.
· A personalized MRNA vaccine was custom built at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from genetic material taken from a patient’s own tumors.
· A vaccine against pancreatic cancer at Johns Hopkins produced a targeted immune response in 90% in human trials.
· Scientists at Northwestern University developed a highly sensitive blood test that can detect traces of pancreatic cancer missed by standard testing.
Perhaps the biggest news has been the announcement of a new cancer drug, daraxonrasib, which has prolonged the survival of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and is now being fast-tracked for approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
These breakthroughs are the direct result of organizations such as Wings of Hope that provide the seed money for the early trials that lead to the large-scale government-funded research that eventually saves lives.
Wings of Hope, founded by Shul after losing her mother and brother to pancreatic cancer, is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to raising both awareness and funding for the research taking place every day at the CU Cancer Center.
The nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser of the year is Evening of Hope, which will take place Sept. 19 at The Inverness Denver, 200 Inverness Dr. West in Douglas County.
The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by dinner and a live auction. Supporters will also hear directly from the CU researchers about the promising clinical trials they are supporting by attending Evening of Hope.