Mission: Cure

Research Progress & Capacity Building Updates

Chronic pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that produces digestive enzymes and insulin. The inflammation leads to severe digestive problems and, eventually, diabetes. Chronic pancreatitis patients experience extreme pain and are at high risk for pancreatic cancer.

Patient leader Megan Golden founded Mission: Cure after her brother Eric was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. After his diagnosis, her family realized there was no treatment available and no dedicated patient advocacy organization focused on finding a cure. Patients like Eric face a life of pain and suffering as their disease progresses, and Golden was committed to making sure there was a community behind them working toward a cure.

As part of the Rare As One Network, Mission: Cure plans to create a patient-led research network that will prioritize translational research and use data on patient experience and outcomes, including from patients often underrepresented in rare disease. The network will prioritize efforts most likely to improve patient outcomes efficiently, such as drug repurposing.