Research Funded To Date
The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for brain cancer. We strive in improve the quality of life and increase the life expectancy of those diagnosed with brain cancer by funding promising research that creates more diagnostics and treatments for patients.
Since 2008, we have funded 33 separate institutions with over 107 different research grants totaling over $150 million. These grants have involved research in phase 0 clinical trials, biomarkers, genomics, imaging, immunotherapy, stem cell, vaccines, and the development of possible new drugs.
2015
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AT TGEN DESIGNED TO GIVE HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INTENSIVE, HANDS-ON RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WORKING ALONGSIDE A MENTOR-SCIENTIST TO LEARN ABOUT TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH WHILE INVESTIGATING QUESTIONS WITHIN THE NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES.
PI: Brandy Wells
Director, Public Affairs and Education
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
UTILIZING A SMALL MOLECULE AND NANOPARTICLE FORMULATED STAT3 INHIBITOR TO STOP THE PROCESS OF TUMORIGENESIS AND TUMOR-MEDIATED IMMUNE SUPPRESSION IN A PHASE I/II CLINICAL TRIAL WITH UNIQUE CORRELATIVE BIOMARKERS OF POTENTIAL CLINICAL RESPONSE.
PIs: Amy Heimberger, M.D.
Professor, Neurosurgery
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Waldemar Priebe, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Professor, Experimental Therapeutics Department
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Charles A. Conrad, M.D.
Professor, Neuro-Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
PHASE 1 CLINICAL TRIAL EVALUATING AN AUTOLOGOUS BRAIN TUMOR STEM CELL RNA BASED DENDRITIC CELL VACCINE FOR THE TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT GLIOMA. PATIENTS WILL RECEIVE A PERSONALIZED DENDRITIC CELL VACCINE TO ELICIT AN IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST THEIR TUMORS IN CONJUNCTION WITH A PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH 1 (PD-1) INHIBITOR.
PIs: Charles S. Cobbs, M.D.
Director, Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment
Swedish Neuroscience Institute
Parvinder Hothi, Ph.D.
Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment
Swedish Neuroscience Institute
SUPPORT A NEW PHASE 0/11 CLINICAL TRIAL TESTING A FIRST-IN-CLASS TARGETED INHIBITOR FOR A MOLECULAR SUBSET OF RECURRENT GLIOBLASTOMA PATIENTS WITH THE HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD OF DRUG EFFECT.
PI: Nader Sanai, M.D., FAANS, FACS
Director, Division of Neurosurgical Oncology
Director, Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center
Barrow Neurological Institute
FUNDING WILL ACCELERATE THE PHASE 0 NEURO-ONCOLOGY CLINICAL TRIAL PROGRAM BY SUPPORTING ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING BASIC AND CLINICAL SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS, RESEARCH NURSES, BIOSTATISTICIANS AND A PROGRAM MANAGER. THIS PHASE 0 PROGRAM IS THE FIRST SUCH PROGRAMMATIC EFFORT FOR GLIOBLASTOMA PATIENTS WORLDWIDE.
PI: Nader Sanai, M.D., FAANS, FACS
Director, Division of Neurosurgical Oncology
Director, Barrow Brain Tumor Research Center
Barrow Neurological Institute
PROJECT WILL STUDY THE ABILITY TO IMAGE A KEY REGULATORY SWITCH IN GLIOBLASTOMA METABOLISM BY THE USE OF PET IMAGING. A NEW PET TRACER TARGETING PKM2 WILL BE USED TO IMAGE THE EARLIEST CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO TREATMENT IN ORDER TO HELP IMPROVE GBM PATIENT MANAGEMENT.
PI: Sanjiv Sam Gambhir M.D., Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Radiology
Director, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford
Director, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection
Stanford University School of Medicine
PD-1 BLOCKADE TO OVERCOME INHERENT TUMOR IMMUNOSUPPRESSION WILL BE COMBINED WITH AN INNOVATIVE, PATIENT-SPECIFIC NEOANTIGEN VACCINE TO DRIVE TUMOR IMMUNOGENICITY IN A PHASE 2 CLINICAL.
PI: David A. Reardon, M.D.
Clinical Director, Center for Neuro-Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
BIOMARKERS FOR MONITORING TREATMENT RESPONSE AND CHANGES IN THE MOLECULAR MAKEUP OF GLIOBLASTOMA ARE LIMITED. PROJECT WILL USE GENOMIC ANALYSES OF RESECTED TUMORS AND PERIPHERAL PLASMA SAMPLES TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF CIRCULATING DNA-BASED DIAGNOSTICS IN PATIENTS WITH GLIOBLASTOMA.
PI: Muhammed Murtaza, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Center for Noninvasive Diagnostics
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)