Research Grants

Research Grants is sponsored by Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation (SBTF). The SBTF funds scientific research and investigator-initiated clinical trials focused on finding a cure for brain tumors. Their philosophy is to provide seed money and stimulate brain tumor research, focusing on translational projects.

Brain Tumor Research Grants | Research Awarding Grants to Research Projects Focused on Brain Tumor RESEARCH & Treatment The SBTF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, public charitable organization based in Atlanta, GA. We fund scientific research and investigator-initiated clinical trials focused on finding a cure for brain tumors. Since 1995, the SBTF has awarded over $3M in research grants.

Our research grant philosophy is to provide seed money and stimulate brain tumor research. At the SBTF we: Seek out the best science relying on a Scientific Advisory Committee to review and score all applications. Focus on translational research projects and investigator-initiated clinical trials focused on finding a cure for brain tumors.

Strive to select and fund the project which has the best chance of leading to a cure We believe seed funding will foster the continued development of emerging concepts, treatments, and therapies.

We hope the projects funded by the SBTF might be a springboard from which researchers will garner additional data resulting in publications & recognition which has the potential to secure support from larger funding agencies, such as the National Institute of Health for brain tumor research.

The SBTF research grant funds may not be used to support indirect costs such as utilities, legal fees, equipment rentals and administrative staff expenses. brain tumor Research Grants Awarded We are pleased to provide a list of brain tumor research grant projects which have been funded by the SBTF. Funding for these research projects has been made possible through the generosity of our constituents and the support of event participants.

If you'd like to make an impact, visit our Donate page. Your generosity is appreciated. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding our research grants.

We can be reached via email at info@sbtf. org The Brain Tumor Funders' Collective Liquid Biopsy Technology- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital "Maximizing Detection of Childhood Brain Tumors in Biofluids " Research grant for multi institutional, multi-disciplinary research projects focusing on liquid biopsy for primary brain tumors Funded as a member of the Brain Tumor Funders Collaborative https://themarkfoundation.

org/glioblastoma-partnership/ "In Silico to In Vitro: Identifying and Modeling Progenitor Programs in Pediatric Brain Tumors" Shivani Baisiwala, MD, is a senior neurosurgery resident at UCLA Health and researcher within the Bhaduri Research Lab. Her research leverages single-cell RNA sequencing and human stem cell models to characterize poorly understood pediatric brain tumor subtypes at precise developmental and molecular levels.

This investigative work seeks to bridge the gap between computational data and laboratory modeling, identifying targetable progenitor programs to improve therapeutic strategies. Dr. Baisiwala holds a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering and a Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, and earned her Doctor of Medicine from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) The Brain Tumor Funders' Collective Liquid Biopsy Technology- Connecticut Children's Medical Center "Global Alliance to Establish a CSF-based Liquid Biopsy Platform for Brain Tumors" Research grant for multi institutional, multi-disciplinary research projects focusing on liquid biopsy for primary brain tumors Funded in partnership with the BTFC Jacqueline Sue Laures-Gore “Toward a Better Understanding of Tumor-Related Language Impairments” The goals of this project are to (1) conduct a qualitative study exploring the experiences of members of a tumor-related language impairment specific support group to better understand quality of life; (2) conduct a retrospective study analyzing the frequency of speech-language therapy referrals for individuals with tumor-related language impairments and the incidence of these type of language impairments.

University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine Exploring the Impact of Glioblastoma Synapses on Long-Range Neural Circuitry Examining how GBM affects normal brain function, Kristen Park will study how the connections between neurons and GBM cells contribute to dysfunction in the brain far away from the tumor.

The results from this study will help to identify new therapeutic targets to treat neurocognitive symptoms and tumor growth. Medical Student Summer Fellowship Grant distributed via partnership with the American Brain Tumor Association Poojan is a fourth-year medical student at UCSF. He was born and raised in the Bay Area, CA, and attended UC Berkeley for undergraduate where he developed an interest in studying glioblastoma.

In medical school, he has leveraged his computational background to investigate single-cell transcriptomics in glioblastoma in the lab of Dr. Manish Aghi. Poojan plans to pursue residency training in neurosurgery and aspires to become a neurosurgeon-scientist. SBTF Award on behalf of the CNS Section on Tumors Jeffrey Zuccato, M.

D. , Ph. D.

, FRCSC, is a faculty neurosurgeon at OU Health with clinical expertise and advanced training in skull base surgery and neuro-oncology. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto and completed residency training in neurosurgery at the same institution. He underwent postgraduate training with a Skull Base Neurosurgery and Neuro-Oncology Fellowship at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

His clinical practice focuses on the neurosurgical management of brain and skull base tumors using both open and minimally invasive endoscopic approaches. He also holds the academic title of Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Science at the University of Toronto studying new brain tumor molecular biomarkers.

His research program is focused on the identification of diagnostic and prognostic brain tumor biomarkers, on liquid biopsy and non-invasive brain tumor biomarkers, and on the integration of molecular biomarkers into patient care. He has published his research in prominent journals including Nature Medicine and Neuro-Oncology and has presented his work at multiple major national Neurosurgical and Neuro-Oncology meetings.

SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research MFCR and SBTF agree to co-fund research project(s) from an RFP on the topic of glioblastoma.

Funded by The Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation in partnership with The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Define Bayik, PhD, Tyler Miller, MD, PhD, Ilon Liu, MD, Luiz Geraldo, MD, PhD, and Hinda Najem, MD Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Charite University Hospital Berlin, NYU Langone Health, Northwestern University Supported travel to The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research & The Sontag Foundation Workshop entitled "No Stone Unturned: Relentless Pursuit of a Cure for Glioblastoma", providing them with valuable opportunities to deepen their expertise, engage with colleagues, and advance their careers as rising leaders in brain tumor research.

Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation Career Development Award A Multicenter Study to Assess the Feasibility of Gleolan (ALA/Aminolevulinic Acid HCl) in Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients After Delayed Administration Funded by the SBTF via The Anna Feyerherm Moxie Award Optimization of a CD97-targeting Antibody-drug Conjugate for Treatment of GBM Medical Student Summer Fellowship Grant distributed via partnership with the American Brain Tumor Association University of California San Francisco Targetable gene expression changes mediate extravasation of breast cancer cells from the circulation and local proliferation in the brain SBTF Award on behalf of the CNS Section on Tumors Intra-Tumoral Convection Enhanced Delivery of an Immunostimulatory Agent Extends Survival in GBM Model SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Eliciting Patient Treatment Preferences Through Best-Worst Scaling to Inform Treatment Decisions In A Cohort Of Glioblastoma Patients Andrea Otamendi-Lopez, MD Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville UAP1 Inhibition as Novel Therapy to Fight GBM Through Extracellular Matrix Disruption SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons CNS Section on Tumors (AANS/CNS) 1381038 EZH2 inhibition as a potential therapeutic avenue in the treatment of meningioma SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Evaluating the Role of Translational Regulation in GSCs for Hypoxic Adaptation Medical Student Summer Fellowship Grant distributed via partnership with the American Brain Tumor Association Barrow Neurological Institute Characterizing glioma evolution through longitudinal cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsy in a Phase 0/2 clinical trial of niraparib for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma NREF & SBTF Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Intratumoral Anti-CD29 Treatment to Improve Brain Tumor Immune Therapy Discovery Grant Distributed via partnership with American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Molecular Markers of Meningioma Growth Arrest After HDAC Inhibition Research Fellowship Grant Distributed via partnership with Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) and the Tumor Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) University of California, San Francisco Replicating Retroviral Delivery of Immune Costimulatory Agents in Glioblastoma Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Medical Student Summer Fellowship Award Dagoberto Estevez Ordonez, MD University of Alabama, Birmingham Evaluation of immunologic parameters in canine glioma patients treated with an oncolytic herpes virus SBTF Award distributed via partnership with American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Justin Zihan Wang, MD, BSc Establishing the utility of plasma-based liquid biopsies in meningiomas using cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with deep sequencing Distributed via partnership with Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) and the Tumor Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) The Immune Effects of a Novel Vaccine in Combination with Standard of Care Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Medical Student Summer Fellowship Award Intratumoral Extracellular Metabolomic Biomarkers of IDH-mutant Glioma Distributed via American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) and American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Young Investigator Award.

Distributed via a Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Medical Student Summer Medical Fellowship Award Characterization of the Minimal Residual Disease in Human Glioblastoma Distributed via an American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Tumor Section Award.

Houston Methodist Hospital Oncomagnetics: A potential new noninvasive magnetic stimulation technology to treat glioblastoma Distributed via a Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Tumor Section Award.

Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville, FL Role of Glioma Extracellular Vessicles on the Transformation of Neural Stem Cells Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Medical Student Summer Fellowship Award University of California, Los Angeles Neoantigens arising from alternative pre-mRNA splicing may be targeted by tumor-specific T lymphocytes in histone H3.

3 G34R mutant pediatric GBM Distributed via partnership with Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) and the Tumor Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Theragnostic Antibody for Improving Immunotherapy and Immune Monitoring in Glioma Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Discovery Grant University of California, Irvine ABTA Discovery Grant Targeting Glioma Complement Signaling Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Discovery Grant Maryam Rahman, MD, MS, FAANS Vaccine Strategy to overcome treatment induced immunosuppression in glioma Distributed via an American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) Discovery Grant David J.

Robbins, University of Miami “Evaluating Efficacy of Minnelide in MYC Driven Medulloblastoma” Roy E. Strowd, Wake Forest “A Novel Vaccine-Based Model to Evaluate Cancer and Treatment Induced Immune Dysfunction and Determine the Optimal Times for Incorporating Immunotherapy in Gliomas” Anita Hjelmeland, Ph. D.

, University of Alabama at Birmingham “Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition to improve Glioblastoma Standard of Care” Rebecca Ihrie, Ph. D. , Jonathan Irish, Ph.

D. , Vanderbilt “Dissecting the contribution of the niche and immune cells to patient outcome using single-cell protein measurements” Yiping He, MD, Ph. D.

, Duke University, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Durham, NC Exploiting MTAP for more effective treatment of glioblastoma with temozolomide Eric M. Thompson, MD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC Optimizing the Convection Enhanced Delivery of Targeted Agents for Midline gliomas Erwin G. Van Meir, Ph.

D. , Emory University, Atlanta, GA Investigating the role of N-cadherin in the therapeutic resistance of Glioblastoma Hai Ye, MD, Ph. D.

, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC Developing a clinically relevant animal model and investigating therapeutics for targeting PPM1D mutations in brainstem glioma. Keqiang Ye, Ph. D.

, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. PIKE-A/Cdk4 Complex is a Novel Drug Target for Treating Glioblastoma Hui-Kuo Shu, Emory University, Atlanta, GA Therapeutic Targeting of Id1 in Glioblastomas Tracy-Ann Read, Ph. D.

, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA Characterizing the role of second hit genes in SNF5 deficient tumors Matthias Gromeier, MD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC Oncolytic Polio Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma Chin Chiang. Ph. D.

, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN Redox Function in Medulloblastoma Kevin Cassady, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Birmingham, AL The oHSV-Mediated Immune Response: Engineering Long-Term Anti-GBM Immunity” Awarded April 2013, Award Ceremony September 2013 Prakash Chinnaiyan, MD, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Determining Biologic Consequence of Cysteine Catabolism Lawrence S.

Lamb, Jr., Ph. D. , Wallace Tumor Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham Temozolomide-resistant gene-modified yS T cells for High Grade Gliomas Renee Read, Ph.

D. , Emory University School of Medicine – Phil Jory Research Award Recipient Revealing a role for Stk17A in glioblastoma invasion and proliferation Satish K. Chitneni, Ph.

D. , Duke University Medical Center PET Imaging iDH1-R1324H in Glioma Jialiang Wang, Ph. D.

, Vanderbilt University Erwin G. Van Meir, Ph. D.

, Emory University BA1 Tumor Supressor in Medulloblastoma Etty (Tika) Benveniste, Ph. D. , University of Alabama at Birmingham Defining the Role of Nf-kB in Promoting STAT3 Activation in Malignant Gliomas Award Ceremony conducted April 15, 2011 Craig Castellino, MD, Ph.

D. , Emory University “Inhibition of WIP1-mediated metastasis in medulloblastoma” Laura Johnson, Ph. D.

, Duke University “Reversing CD28:B7 ligand/receptor superfamily-mediated immune deficits in cytomegalovirus infected GBM patients” Hai Yan, MD, Duke University “The role of D-2-hydroxyglutarate in glioma pathology, diagnosis and therapy” Tracy-Ann Read, Ph. D.

, Emory University “Identification and Characterization of the Cell of Origin for Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumors (AT/RTS)” Award Ceremony conducted March 2010 Dr. Van Meir, Ph. D. , Emory University “Therapeutic Modulation of the Methyl-CpG-Binding Domain Protein 2 (MBD2) in Glioma” Dr. Chandramohan, MD.

Ph. D. , Duke University “D2C7-NZ-1: A Novel Recombinant Trispecific Single-Chain Immunotoxin for the Treatment of Malignant Glioma” Dr. Laura Johnson, MD.

Ph. D.

, Duke University “Research Project on EGFRvIII Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cell Immunotherapy of Glioblastoma” Dr. Jeffrey Olson, MD, Emory University “Glioblastoma Stem Cell Resistance to Proteasome Inhibition: Assessment of Mechanisms” Dr. Nozell, MD, University of Alabama “Role of NF-KB in promoting tumorigenicity” Dr. Gromeier, MD, Duke University “Oncolytic virotherapy for metastatic medulloblastoma” Dr. Mitchell, MD, Duke University “Enhancing immunity to malignant glioma during hematopoietic recovery from lymphodepletive temozolomide” Dr. Reya, MD, Duke University “Creating a new mouse model for large cell anaplastic medulloblastoma” Dr. Costas G.

Hadjipanayis, MD. Ph. D.

, Emory University “EGFRVIII antibody conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for targeted imaging and therapy” Awarded, January 30, 2008 Dr. Yiting Cao, MD, Duke University For his work with Dr. Jeremy Rich and the Erythropoietin Regulation of Brain Tumor Stem Cells. Dr. Charlie Hao, MD, Emory Univers ity For his work of Combination Treatment of GBM with TRAIL and Hsp90 Inhibitors. Dr. Erwin Van Meir, Ph.

D. , Emory University For work on a novel anti-angiogenic function for the p14ARF tumor suppressor in Glioma. Dr. Michael W.

Graner, Ph. D. , Duke University Heat Shock Protein Vaccines as Immunotherapy against Malignant Glioma.

Dr. Erwin Van Meir, Ph. D. , Emory University Pre-clinical development of a Novel Small Molecule HIF-1 Inhibitor for the Therapy of Malignant Brain Tumors.

Dr. Matthias Gromeier, MD, Duke University Evaluation of Oncolytic Poliovirus Recombinants in a Syngeneic Rodent Glioma Model Dr. Hai Yan, Ph. D. , Duke University Characterization of OTX2 as a Novel Therapeutic Target and Prognostic Marker Medulloblastoma Dr. Chunhai (Charlie) Hao, MD, Ph.

D. , Winship Cancer Institute – Emory University Development of TRAIL-based Therapies for Glioblastomas Anita Hjelmeland, Ph. D.

, Duke University PTEN Loss in Gliomas Promotes Pro-Tumorigenic Responses to Transforming Growth Factor Beta In the clinician's words... "It is my long-term goal to become an independent clinical investigator and leader in the study of neurological cancer.

Receiving funding from the American Brain Tumor Association and The Southeastern Brain Tumor Association allowed me to take concrete formative steps toward this goal and further inspired me to continue pursuing this work in my career. During my time as an ABTA-funded medical student investigator, I was able to work with and learn from leaders in the field of neurological cancer research on a cutting-edge project at a top institution.

I learned skills needed to develop an impactful project proposal, submit application for funding, execute a project in an efficient manner, and collaborate across institutions. The laboratory techniques honed and collaborative mentoring relationships established during this work has bolstered my confidence and passion and prepared me for the crucial next steps in my career progression.

As a direct result of this experience, I am prepared to complete future applications for funding, develop and lead independent research projects, work collaboratively across institutions, design and execute translational research, and mentor others.

Thanks to the funded opportunity from ABTA, I feel not only inspired but empowered to continue to advocate for patients and work to discover new treatments for patients with neurological cancers."

Emily Lavell, The Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville MSSF Research Project, Awarded 2020 His 2016 SBTF awarded grant, "Investigating the role of N-cadherin in the therapeutic resistance of Glioblastoma," provided results which resulted in submission to the Department of Defense and subsequent award of a two-year $664,000 DOD grant issued in February of 2018.

This grant resulted in subsequent federal funding from the Department of Defense for 2 years in the amount of $400,000 (+ Institutional indirect costs of about $200K). The research results were published in 2021 in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation. Osuka S, Zhu D, Zhang Z.

, Li C, Stackhouse CT, Sampetrean O, Olson JJ, Gillespie GY, Saya H, Willey CD, and Van Meir EG (2021). N-cadherin upregulation mediates adaptive radioresistance in glioblastoma. J Clin Invest 131, e136098 (in press) https://www.

uab. edu/news/research/item/11897-uab-researchers-identify-potential-therapeutic-target-against-malignant-brain-tumors Dr. Erwin Van Meir, University of Alabama, Birmingham SBTF Phil Jory Scientific Award Grant, Awarded 2016 "The grant from SBTF supported a project focusing on exploiting glioblastoma cells’ metabolic vulnerability for more effective treatments for this lethal brain tumor.

Findings from this project subsequently led to a NIH R01 grant that has allowed us to continue to work on the therapeutic strategy. Specifically, we have devised an approach to target glioblastoma cell’s deficiency in producing purine, metabolites that are essential building blocks for tumor cell propagation. We have been working on gaining new insight into how this therapeutic strategy can work and exploring ways to optimize it.

The support from SBTF has been extremely essential and helpful to our research. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the generous support from the SBTF.

" Dr. Yiping He, Duke University SBTF Karen Herman Memorial Grant, Awarded 2016 Dr. Thompson's project resulted in exciting findings: research reflects a commonly used steroid, dexamethasone, plus a drug efflux inhibitor tariquidar can enhance the efficacy of the targeted chemotherapeutic agent, dastinib to treat DIPG.

Published in the Journal of Neurosurgery June 2019 issue: "ABC transporter Inhibition Plus Dexamethasone enhances the efficacy of convection enhanced delivery in H3. 3K27M Mutant DIPG" The purpose of the research project funded by the SBTF was to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy delivered directly into diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG). DIPGs are some of the deadliest pediatric brain tumors and are uncurable with surgery.

We found that adding steroids and an agent that decreased the ability of DIPG cells to pump out chemotherapy significantly increased the survival of mice with DIPG. These results were published in Neurosurgery in 2020 and add to our understanding of how to improve survival in children with DIPG.

Dr. Eric Thompson, Duke University SBTF Dick Comanzo Memorial Award, Awarded 2016 " Your contributions, belief, and support of our work have most definitely allowed us to generate a foundation for gliomagenesis and how the mutations we study contribute to the tumors. We hope to share with you even more exciting ideas in this next application, which we believe, will be fundamental to future therapies.

The proposal will be dealing with an immunotherapeutic approach to targeting the most common mutation identified in gliomas." Dr. Hai Yan, Duke University SBTF Phil Jory Scientific Award Grant, Awarded 2015 Therapeutic Targeting of Id1 in Glioblastomas Aim 1. 1: Presented at 2015 AACR mtg, expect to submit manuscript in 1-2 months.

In planning stages for preparing an RO1 grant proposal to NIH. Aim 1. 2: Unable to demonstrate a significant capacity, will not pursue this avenue of research.

Aim 2: Will continue to test the efficacy, predict the drug will cross blood brain barrier. Experiments ongoing, expect the work will be combined with work from Aim 1. 1 Dr. Hui-Kuo Shu, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2014 This research proved to be an important stepping stone toward clinical trials using polio virus.

Interim report- Phase 1 of clinical trial in patients with recurrent GBM is progressing as planned, remarkable durable, complete clinical and radio-graphic responses in the first patients (as reported in application) are holding up. Currently observing similar responses in further patients.

This research was granted "Breakthrough Status" in 2016 which indicated the FDA wanted to speed up the research and saw great potential in the science. This research was featured in a 60 Minutes story in March 2015. A follow up interview was held in May of 2016.

As of December 2019, this research was in Phase III Trials at several institutions and is receiving favorable results. Support from SBTF enabled very important studies towards brain tumor therapy with recombinant poliovirus, PVSRIPO (all SBTF grants were related to this).

We reported clinical results of monotherapy (PVSRIPO alone) in recurrent GBM, showing unprecedented long-term survival and duration of response (New England Journal of Medicine, 2018). PVSRIPO is now (2021) in Phase-2 clinical trials [in combination with anti-PD1 (pembrolizumab)] against recurrent GBM at many leading cancer centers in the US (including at Duke in the Southeast).

We are in discussions with leading brain tumor experts in the country about the best strategy towards the first approved immunotherapy for GBM (PVSRIPO has Breakthrough Therapy Designation from FDA). In addition, PVSRIPO has shown great promise in recurrent, nonresectable melanoma (a Phase-1 clinical trial was just published; Journal of Immunotherapy of Cancer).

It is now in Phase-2 clinical trials (in combination with anti-PD1) in recurrent, nonresectable melanoma at many leading cancer hospitals in the US. This trial allows patients with melanoma that has metastasized to the brain.

Dr. Matthias Gromeier, Duke University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2014, 2008, 2006 "Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a median survival of 14 months after diagnosis. Tumor recurrence is nearly universal, due to a combination of treatment resistance, tumor invasiveness, and communication with other cells in the brain.

It has been found, in particular, that glioblastoma are more aggressive when they grow in neurogenic regions of the brain that normally give rise to healthy stem cells. Preliminary evidence from Dr. Hugo Guerrero-Cazares’ lab indicated that communication between brain tumor cells and stem cells via extracellular vesicles induces a pro-cancer phenotype in neural stem cells.

My project explored the role of these vesicles by intercepting their mechanism using a drug called chloramidine, which blocks their release. If the use of chloramidine successfully blocks extracellular communication by glioblastoma cells and results in a decreased cancer malignancy, this would be a novel therapeutic pathway for treating patients with malignant brain cancer.

During my time working on this project, we were able to determine concentrations of this drug that were non-toxic to cells, a foundational step for further experiments exploring downstream effects of the drug. Additionally, we began to elucidate a trend in the drug’s ability to stop the release of extracellular vesicles.

Experiments in the project are ongoing and seek to determine working concentrations and effects of this drug on cancer progression." Emily Lavell, The Mayo Clinic of Jacksonville MSSF Research Project & Findings, Awarded 2020 "We made significant headway; now have critical mass of data supporting the role of the antiviral immune response in oncolytic viral anti-tumor activity; applying for federal funding using this data.

The SBTF funds allowed researcher to establish an animal model that permits examination of the immune mediated anti-tumor response independent of other viral anti-tumor effects."

Dr. Kevin Cassady, University of Alabama, Birmingham SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2014 "We did indeed publish a manuscript on the project that was supported by our SBTF grant in the journal Cancer Research , and the SBTF support is acknowledged in the publication. Regarding our work on the drug verteporfin, we recently wrapped up our early phase 0/1 trial of verteporfin in human GBM patients and are now trying to publish that research."

Dr. Renee Reed, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2012 "R01 funding on the role of PPM1D in medulloblastoma, funded 2012-2018. This funding was possible in part due to seed funding from SBTF ." Dr. Craig Castellino, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2010 Continued studies and submissions which resulted in 5 year RO1 grant from NIH of approx $1.

6M Dr. Erwin Van Meir, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2009 "Research initially funded (in part) by SBTF in 2009 led to additional studies. An immunotoxin from the initial study, conducted by Vidya Chandramohan, Ph. D.

, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, is now being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial for recurrent Glioblastoma patients. https://www. clinicaltrials.

gov/ct2/show/NCT02303678 ." Vidya Chandramohan, Ph. D.

, Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2009 "The Brain Tumor Nanotechnology Laboratory has translated the use of the magnetic nano particles proposed in the SBTF grant over four years ago to a canine clinical trial at the University of Georgia. Canines with spontaneous brain tumors are being treated with the nano particles our laboratory synthesizes for safety and efficacy testing.

We had promising results and hope to take this to humans soon. Manuscript has resulted from research." Dr. Costas Hadjipanayis, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2008 "Another victory for cancer researchers.

This project which reduces tumor thrombosis by regulating the tissue factor pathway yielded findings which showed when tumor suppressor p14ARF is lost during tumor progression, this leads to the cocomitant loss of a factor that normally prevents coagulation".

The advances mean anti-thrombotic agents might have anti-tumor effects Next step is to test the hypothesis in an animal model to see if this approach has promise for development of a novel therapeutic approach for patients with malignant brain tumors."

Dr. Erwin Van Meir, Emory University SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2009 Early in her career, Dr. Anita Hjelmeland received an SBTF post-doctoral fellowship which encouraged a long term commitment to brain tumor research. She has sought to understand and kill therapy resistant subgroups of brain tumor cells that have some similarities to neural stem cells, and are, therefore, called brain tumor stem cells.

After establishing her laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Hjelmeland was awarded SBTF funds to determine how a new combination of drugs could better eliminate brain tumor stem cells. This drug combination included the standard of care chemotherapy temozolomide and a new inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase IX.

Carbonic anhydrase IX is increased in brain tumor cells under relatively harsh conditions, including low oxygen, to help them adapt and survive. The Hjelmeland laboratory showed that adding the carbonic anhydrase IX inhibitor SLC-0111 to temozolomide reduced the ability of brain tumor stem cells to survive the chemotherapy.

Their findings, which are supported by research from other groups, suggest that SLC-0111 may be beneficial for brain tumor patients, and there is a possibility for clinical studies as SLC-0111 is in clinical trials for patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal cancer (NCT03450018).

Dr. Anita Hjelmeland, Duke University & University of Alabama, Birmingham SBTF Research Grant 2005, Jerry Zucker Memorial Award 2017 "Brain tumors are the number one cause of cancer related death in children, with medulloblastoma (MB) being the most common subgroup.

Genomic-based classification has enabled the stratification of MB into distinct subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3 and Group 4, each with its own histology, molecular drivers and outcomes. The standard of care for MB patients includes surgery, followed by radiation of the brain and spinal cord, and subsequent chemotherapy.

Although significant survival benefit occurs for many patients, some of these tumors are metastatic and resistant to conventional therapies, and thus classified as high-risk disease. Moreover, many children that survive this standard of care treatment will develop severe cognitive and quality of life issues as they get older.

These statistics highlight the urgent need to develop the next generation of cancer therapeutics for MB patients, especially for those harboring high-risk disease. A natural compound used in Chinese medicine for centuries, triptolide, has been shown to have potent antitumor activity. Despite its well-known efficacy, the mechanism of action of triptolide in cancer remains unclear.

We performed computer-based database analysis of genetic biomarkers derived from such patients. Our analyses identified group 3 medulloblastoma patients as likely to benefit from triptolide treatment. Consistent with this prediction, we showed that triptolide attenuates group 3 medulloblastoma growth and increases survival of mice harboring such tumors.

Mechanistically, we show that triptolide works by reducing the levels of an enzyme (OGT) capable of modifying the activity of a key driver of gene expression (Myc) and that without this modification MYC was degraded. Like triptolide, Minnelide (a triptolide derivative in clinical trials), reduced the tumor burden of patient derived group 3 medulloblastoma models.

Thus, triptolide/Minnelide represents a novel therapeutic strategy to evaluate in MYC expressing group 3 medulloblastoma patients, which represents a cohort of pediatric cancer patients with a dismal outcome."

Dr. David Robbins, University of Miami SBTF Research Grant, Awarded 2018 Dr. Keqiang Ye received a grant funding for a project entitled "PIKE-A/Cdk4 Complex is a Novel Drug Target for Treating Glioblastoma" Amplification of chromosome 12q13-q15 (Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) amplicon) is frequently observed in numerous human cancers including GBM (Glioblastoma). Phosphoinositide 3-kinase enhancer (PIKE) is located in CDK4 amplicon.

However, the pathological significance of CDK4 amplicon in GBM formation remains incompletely understood. We show that co-expression of PIKE-A and CDK4 in TP53/PTEN double knockout GBM mouse model additively shortens the latency of glioma onset and survival compared to overexpression of these genes alone.

Consequently, p-mTOR, p-Akt and p-ERK pathways are highly upregulated in the brain tumors, in alignment with their oncogenic activities by CDK4 and PIKE-A stably transfected in GBM cell lines. Hence, our findings support that PIKE amplification or overexpression coordinately acts with CDK4 to drive GBM tumorigenesis. This finding was reported in