Revolution Medicines has been awarded the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair prize for its innovation and development of Rasonque (daraxonrasib), which marks the first approval of its kind in cancer treatment.
The question
Is it possible to discover an effective and dependable treatment for pancreatic cancer, a disease that currently has a five-year survival rate of just 13%?
The results
In a significant clinical trial involving 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most prevalent type of pancreatic cancer, those treated with daraxonrasib lived an average of 13.2 months, compared to just 6.7 months for those undergoing standard chemotherapy. The treatment group also experienced longer periods without cancer progression, and the drug was generally well-tolerated, with only about 1% stopping treatment.
In late August, the Food and Drug Administration approved Rasonque for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who have previously undergone at least one systemic therapy or who are not suitable candidates for multiagent systemic therapy.
Why they did it
RevMed started in 2014 as a company focusing on natural product chemistry aimed at creating new treatments for infections. Jan Smith, the chief scientific officer, noted that after initial attempts didn’t yield results, the company made a strategic shift to oncology, acknowledging that cancer presented a significant opportunity to affect patient lives positively.
Interestingly, the scientists at RevMed did not initially aim to create drugs like daraxonrasib. Their journey began with a drug candidate targeting SHP2, an enzyme that transmits growth signals from outside a cancer cell. To their surprise, they discovered that their candidate could shrink tumors driven by RAS mutations, a result that was unexpected and groundbreaking.
“This led us to realize we had potentially uncovered something significant and needed to pursue RAS directly,” Smith said. “Even though RAS was the first discovered genetic driver of human cancers, targeted treatment approaches for RAS-driven cancers have eluded scientists for decades, making it a highly sought-after target in oncology.”
Daraxonrasib is the first approved drug in a new category known as RAS(ON) inhibitors. RAS functions like a switch for cell growth, and mutations in RAS keep it in an active “ON” state, which promotes uncontrolled growth. Daraxonrasib and similar drugs specifically bind to these mutant RAS proteins to inhibit their function.
“These inhibitors utilize a naturally occurring protein within cells, creating a complex that precisely adheres to RAS(ON), directly inhibiting it in its oncogenic form,” Smith explained.
Why they’re a winner
RevMed’s breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize treatment for pancreatic cancer, a field where progress has been frustratingly slow. The five-year survival rate for metastatic pancreatic cancer currently stands at only 3%.
Around 90% of pancreatic cancers are driven by RAS mutations, and while daraxonrasib isn’t the first drug to target RAS, it is unique in its ability to address a wide range of these mutations. Presently, the drug is only available for cases that haven’t responded to other therapies, but RevMed is already conducting a phase III trial to evaluate its effectiveness as a first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
It’s important to clarify that daraxonrasib is not a cure. Some patients might not respond to it initially, and even among those who do, their cancers may adapt and continue to grow despite treatment. Nonetheless, daraxonrasib provides, for the first time, a meaningful opportunity for both doctors and patients fighting pancreatic cancer, heralding what could be a new era in treatment.
What’s next
RevMed has a total of eight phase III trials that it has either finished, is currently running, or plans to initiate before the end of 2026, with ongoing efforts to expand their research pipeline. While daraxonrasib targets a broad spectrum of RAS mutations, the company is also focused on developing other solutions that target specific RAS mutations more precisely.
“We are advancing both broad and mutation-specific strategies to explore new treatment possibilities for RAS-driven cancers,” said Smith. Furthermore, the company hopes to develop therapies that can effectively combat a cancer’s ability to resist RAS-targeted treatments.
RAS mutations aren’t exclusive to pancreatic cancer; they are also found in about 50% of colorectal cancers and in around a third of lung adenocarcinomas. Several of RevMed’s trials target drugs aimed at non-small cell lung cancers and solid tumors related to RAS.
The team
Achieving this milestone required significant collaboration and effort. A key contributor to RevMed’s success was the 2018 acquisition of Warp Drive Bio, which developed the tri-complex inhibitor platform essential for making daraxonrasib possible.
“This research required teamwork across multiple fields and organizations. Our internal team possesses in-depth skills in various areas, including chemical biology, cancer biology, and clinical oncology,” Smith noted.
Importantly, none of this work would be feasible without the cancer patients who participated in trials. So far, more than 2,500 individuals have benefited from one or more of the RAS(ON) inhibitors. Thanks to their contributions, the approximately 67,000 Americans diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year find themselves with renewed hope.
More information on the entire lineup of 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair winners can be found here.
