Pancreatic Cancer Patients Meet Pancreatic Cancer Researchers at Kosten Foundation and UTHSC Purple Night

Over 100 attendees learned firsthand about the work the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team is performing to try to cure the deadly disease.

Memphis, Tenn., October 18, 2017 – More than 100 people turned out to learn about pancreatic cancer at The Kosten Foundation’s Fourth Annual Purple Night, held October 7, 2017, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC.) Designed to bring together researchers, physicians, patients, and their families, the event is open to the public and showcases work underway at UTHSC to find biomarkers for the disease, establish new treatments, and train the next generation of researchers who will unlock its secrets. The evening also includes a meal of Indian food prepared and served by the research team, making it a celebration of life.

Alan Kosten, Chairman of the Herb Kosten Pancreatic Cancer Charitable Fund, with members of the UTHSC Pancreatic Cancer Research Team
(click to enlarge)

“Purple Night gives individuals the opportunity to meet the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team, learn what they are working on, and hear about advancements they have made to help fight this deadly disease,” said Alan Kosten, chairman of the Herb Kosten Pancreatic Cancer Charitable Fund. “The Kosten Foundation exists to support events such as these, as well as to help fund research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.”

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s leading pancreatic cancer research team, led by Dr. Subhash Chauhan, now numbers 24. Many of the scientists performing the research are funded through The Kosten Foundation, and the research takes place in The Dermon II Family and Herb Kosten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at UTHSC, established through a $200,000 grant from the foundation in 2016. On Purple Night the team’s research got personal, as the group stepped out of the lab, shared a meal and got to know some of the people they are working so hard to help.

“This energizes me to work even harder,” said Dr. Subhash Chauhan, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Pathology at the College of Medicine at UTHSC. “This gives the whole group of researchers an opportunity to see what a cancer patient looks like and how they feel. We get firsthand information from the patient we would otherwise not have access to.”

Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths and one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose, mainly because there are no definitive symptoms.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 53,670 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and roughly 43,090 will die.

“I think the patients inspire us, and I would like to think that we show them the difference we’re making in pancreatic cancer at UTHSC,” said Dr. Stephen W. Behrman, a professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology at UTHSC who helped establish the Herb Kosten Pancreatic Cancer Research Endowment Fund. “Hopefully, hearing about what we’re doing inspires them, gives them hope, and impacts their lives in a positive manner.”

Contact: Mark Richens | mark@mmgmemphis.com | 901-425-3770