Project Purple awards grant

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Project Purple Chairman Dino Verrelli of Beacon Falls. –FILE PHOTO
Project Purple Chairman Dino Verrelli of Beacon Falls. –FILE PHOTO

BEACON FALLS — Project Purple announced a grant award to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Dr. Michael Hollingsworth for $150,000 to further the university’s research into finding a cure for pancreatic cancer.

“This is a historic milestone for Project Purple. To be partnering with Dr. Hollingsworth and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, one of the leading pancreatic cancer facilities in the country, is an amazing opportunity to make a difference in the research of this devastating cancer, Project Purple Chairman Dino Verrelli, a Beacon Falls resident, said in a news release. “Project Purple is committed to working with the best in the world and this grant lives up to the promise.”

Project Purple is a nonprofit organization with a mission of raising awareness and funds toward a cure of pancreatic cancer. According to the release, pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and has a five-year survival rate of less than 6 percent.

Hollingsworth leads the pancreatic cancer research team at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“We greatly appreciate the support of Project Purple, our goal is to improve the quality of life and extend the survival for pancreatic cancer patients,” Hollingsworth said in the release. “This grant will support research that is directly related to new therapies to stop the process of cancer growth and metastasis and to better treat the systematic problems associated with cancer, such as pain.” 

For more information, visit www.run4projectpurple.org.