The All-Star Translational Award from the V Foundation will help create new treatments to help patients better fight off pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal types of cancer.
Justin Milner, PhD, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received a $1 million grant from the V Foundation for his research project: “Synthetic Reprogramming of CAR-T Cells for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.”
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal and aggressive types of cancer, with a 13.3% five-year survival rate. Researchers have turned to a type of immunotherapy, termed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells or adoptive cell therapy, that uses the body’s own immune cells to help patients fight complex cancers.
The grant, part of the 2026 All-Star Translational Award Program, is awarded to previous V Foundation grant recipients who are continuing to improve the cancer landscape for patients. In 2022, Milner received a grant from the V Scholar Program to bolster the efficacy and durability of T-cells for pancreatic cancer.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano to fund cutting-edge cancer research and support scientists in their efforts to save lives.
Media contact: Kendall Rovinsky, Communications Specialist, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine