The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) shared a post on X:
“40 years from ‘impossible’ to clinical reality.
This week’s The New York Times feature by Gina Kolata and Rebecca Robbins on the development of daraxonrasib is a powerful chronicle of the scientific persistence required to reach a breakthrough.
For decades, the KRAS protein was dismissed as ‘undruggable.’
The transition to a life-extending therapy for pancreatic cancer happened because visionary scientists – including Mark Foundation grantee Kevan Shokat – stayed the course when others walked away.
There are two takeaways from this story:
- Scientific progress requires risk. Audacious ideas lay the foundation for future advances.
- To help patients, lab discoveries need a bridge to therapeutic application and commercialization.
This is where catalytic philanthropy comes in. By supporting research at every stage, we help scientists de-risk their findings and shorten the time it takes to get from the lab bench to the patient.
And right now, we’re already funding the next frontier of KRAS research.
In partnership with Lustgarten Foundation and the AACR, we are supporting work that leverages daraxonrasib to detect and intercept KRAS-mutant tumors early, before they become metastatic. Details.
The daraxonrasib breakthrough proves we have the capability to make major leaps when we have the courage to pursue so-called ‘impossible’ ideas.
Our goal now: Ensure the next generation of breakthroughs doesn’t take 40 years to reach cancer patients.”
Other articles about The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) on OncoDaily.