Leading the Way in Discovering Novel Treatments for Pancreatic Cancer
Commitment to Research
The LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program supports internationally recognized specialists who provide a wealth of knowledge and experience in pancreatic cancer treatment and research. We are committed to developing the next generation of medical researchers and to translating our research into cutting-edge treatments for our patients. We are involved in many areas of research, including basic science, outcomes assessments, and international clinical trials. Our dedication to research is one of the many tools we have available to make MCW a destination for the best pancreatic cancer care possible.
About our Biorepository
Our biorepository is a phenomenal resource for both translational research collaborations as well as clinical outcomes research. The Ronald Burklund Eich integrated biorepository and database captures longitudinal samples from patients across a broad spectrum of disease, from pancreatic cancer screening to diagnosis, and even post-mortem.
Basic and Translational Scientific Investigators
Scientific investigators are discovery-drivers, working to uncover more innovative and cutting-edge treatments with every study they conduct.

Michael B. Dwinell, PhD
Professor; Founding Director, Center for Immunology; Director, Bobbie Nick Voss Laboratory for Colon Cancer Research; Hanis-Stepka-Rettig Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Cancer Metastasis, Tumor Microenvironment, Mucosal Inflammation

Guan Chen, MD, PhD
Professor

Gwen Lomberk, PhD
Chief, Division of Research; Director, Basic Science Research; Department of Surgery; Professor of Surgery and Pharmacology & Toxicology

Nikki K. Lytle, PhD
Assistant Professor

Subramaniam Malarkannan, PhD
Professor and Gardetto Chair for Immunology and Immunotherapy; Professor, Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and Microbiology & Immunology; Senior Investigator, Versiti Blood Research Institute
NK cell development and function

Thomas McFall, PhD
Assistant Professor
I am interested in experimental-systems approaches that enable mechanism-based inference in genomic medicine and can help identify patients for selective therapeutic strategies.

Marja T. Nevalainen, MD, PhD
WBCS Endowed Professor of Prostate Cancer Research, Department of Pathology and Pharmacology & Toxicology; Assistant Dean of Research, Medical College of Wisconsin; Director, Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence at Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center
Dr. Nevalainen is an internationally recognized leader in the field of cytokine and steroid hormone signaling in prostate cancer. Dr. Nevalainen holds the title of Eminent Scholar at MCW. She is also Director of Prostate Cancer Center of Excellence at MCW Cancer Center, which is a multi-disciplinary hub for prostate cancer research within the institution with an international collaborative network. She also serves as Associate Director of Education for the MCW Cancer Center.

Jong-In Park, PhD
Professor

Hallgeir Rui, MD, PhD
WBCS Endowed Professor of Breast Cancer Research; Director, MCW Tissue Bank; Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Pathology

Raul A. Urrutia, MD
Professor, Department of Surgery; Director, Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine
Research Lab Links and More
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Department of Surgery- Division of Research
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Dr. Dwinell's Lab Page
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Dr. Lomberk's Lab Page
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Dr. Park's Lab Page
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Dr. Urrutia's Lab Page
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Recent Publications
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A modified ELISA assay differentiates CCL20 locked dimers from wild-type monomers.
(Wu X, Clarke WR, Koplinski CA, Peterson FC, Dwinell MB, Wei G, Chao E, Huynh M, Yamada D, Volkman BF, Hwang ST.) J Immunol Methods. 2023 Apr;515:113453 PMID: 36863695 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85150034077 03/03/2023
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High PD-L2 Predicts Early Recurrence of ER-Positive Breast Cancer.
(Chervoneva I, Peck AR, Sun Y, Yi M, Udhane SS, Langenheim JF, Girondo MA, Jorns JM, Chaudhary LN, Kamaraju S, Bergom C, Flister MJ, Hooke JA, Kovatich AJ, Shriver CD, Hu H, Palazzo JP, Bibbo M, Hyslop T, Nevalainen MT, Pestell RG, Fuchs SY, Mitchell EP, Rui H.) JCO Precis Oncol. 2023 Jan;7:e2100498 PMID: 36652667 PMCID: PMC9928763 01/19/2023
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Priming therapy by targeting enhancer-initiated pathways in patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells
(Fraunhoffer NA, Moreno Vega AI, Abuelafia AM, Morvan M, Lebarbier E, Mary-Huard T, Zimmermann M, Lomberk G, Urrutia R, Dusetti N, Blum Y, Nicolle R, Iovanna J.) eBioMedicine. June 2023;92 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85154565512 06/01/2023
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(Fraunhoffer NA, Abuelafia AM, Bigonnet M, Gayet O, Roques J, Nicolle R, Lomberk G, Urrutia R, Dusetti N, Iovanna J.) npj Precision Oncology. December 2022;6(1) SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85136999952 12/01/2022
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eIF5A-Independent Role of DHPS in p21CIP1 and Cell Fate Regulation.
(Becker AE, Wu PK, Park JI.) Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 07;22(24) PMID: 34947982 PMCID: PMC8707118 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85120635476 12/25/2021
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(Hall WA, Kamgar M, Erickson BA, Ponce SB, Tsai S, Nevalainen MT, Christians KK, George B, Dua KS, Khan AH, Evans DB, Azmi AS.) Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2021 Sep;40(3):879-889 PMID: 34611794 PMCID: PMC8767496 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85116412346 10/07/2021