An Evening of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Research

At age 15, he developed an early-detection test for pancreatic cancer, even after a slew of rejections from potential mentors. Experimenting with a small amount of nitro glycerin, he inadvertently blew a 40-foot crater in his own backyard—and put his family on an FBI watch list. Amazing wunderkind Jack Andraka was the fascinating keynote speaker at An Evening of Hope, this year’s Wings of Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Research fundraiser. Founder Maureen Shul told guests she discovered him on a broadcast of 60 Minutes and “stalked him” until he agreed to make an appearance in Denver.

Representatives of sponsor Aircraft Performance Group (APG) at the reception

On Saturday, June 18, more than 200 supporters gathered at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus for a casual reception and silent auction. Shul said the event was focused on pancreatic-cancer research, so what better place to be? Guests made their way to the auditorium, where energetic Gary Corbett served as event emcee and auctioneer for five big-ticket items up for bid. Shul told the crowd the event was designed to show the present state of pancreatic cancer, as well as the possibilities to be gained with more research. Also addressing the crowd: Colin Weekes, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medical oncology, as well as Richard Schulick, M.D., M.B.A., professor and chair of the department of surgery, both at CU-Anschutz. The evening ended with a booksigning for “Breakthrough,” authored by Andraka.

Gary Corbett (left), supported by event speakers, makes an appeal for individual donations at the live auction.

From an early age, Jack Andraka was enormously curious about everything to do with science. Before grade school, his parents, with backgrounds in medicine and engineering, taught him the rudiments of scientific methods. It was the death of a close family friend caused by pancreatic cancer that focused Andraka’s energy and brilliance in trying to find a way to detect the disease in its early stages. His test, developed at age 15, costs three cents and five minutes to run—400 times more effective than the previous detection method used by medical professionals. Among a slew of awards, Andraka was honored with the 2014 Jefferson Award, the nation’s most prestigious public-service recognition, and was First Lady Michelle Obama’s personal guest at the State of the Union Address. Andraka recently completed his first year at Stanford University under a grant from National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and conducts research on nanorobots and inkjet-printed biosensors for environmental contaminants and diseases.

Wings of Hope was founded in 2012 by Maureen Shul after losing her brother and mother to pancreatic cancer within months of each other. In 2013, the University of Colorado Cancer Center entered into a formal partnership with her foundation, with all efforts and proceeds going directly toward raising awareness and funding for the the pancreatic cancer research at Anschutz Medical Campus. Wings of Hope has raised approximately $400,000 since its creation. For more information, please visit: www.wingsofhopepcr.org.