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.
2016
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)
AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES EDUCATION AND LIFESTYLE IMPROVEMENT SKILLS AS WELL AS MEDICAL AND COUNSELING SERVICES TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE AND/OR WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES AND PREDIABETES.
PI: Yolanda P. Konopken RD, CDE
Director, Family Wellness Program
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
PROJECT COMBINES NEW NEO-ANTIGEN PROFILING STRATEGIES COMBINED WITH HIGHLY BRAIN PENETRANT DRUGS FROM NON-TRADITIONAL CANCER DRUG PIPELINES TO DEVELOP IMMUNOTHERAPY/INHIBITOR COMBINATION TREATMENTS FOR GBM PATIENTS.
PIs: Timothy Cloughesy, M.D.
Director and Professor
Neuro-Oncology Program
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
James R. Heath, Ph.D.
Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor
California Institute of Technology
Paul S. Mischel, M.D.
Member, Head and Professor
Laboratory of Molecular Pathology
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
University of California at San Diego
THERAPEUTIC TARGETING OF MICROENVIRONMENTS WHICH WILL LEVERAGE THE IVY GLIOBLASTOMA ATLAS PROJECT TO IDENTIFY CANCER STEM CELL AND IMMUNE CELL COMPARTMENTS AND TO FUNCTIONALLY CHARACTERIZE AND TARGET THE CELLS IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR MICROENVIRONMENTS.
PI: Ralph B. Puchalski, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment
Swedish Neuroscience Institute
AIM TO DRIVE CLINICAL DISCOVERY THROUGH OPTIMIZED MATHEMATICAL NEURO-ONCOLOGY RESPONSE METRICS BY CONNECTING PATIENT-SPECIFIC TREATMENT RESPONSE TO PATIENT-SPECIFIC BENEFIT.
PI: Kristin R. Swanson, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Precision NeuroTherapeutics Innovation Program
Director, Mathematical NeuroOncology Lab
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Neurosurgery
Mayo Clinic
DEFINING THE BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF OSTEOPONTIN IN BOTH HUMAN AND MURINE MODELS OF GLIOBLASTOMA AND DEVELOPING THERAPEUTIC APTAMERS.
PI: Amy B. Heimberger, M.D.
Professor, Neurosurgery
MD Anderson Cancer Center
PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP NOVEL MOLECULAR IMAGING STRATEGIES FOR MONITORING VIRAL THERAPIES FOR GBM AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR GBM COMBINING NATURAL PRODUCTS AND TUMOR TREATING FIELDS.
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
COLLECTION OF IMMUNE CELL SUBSETS FROM GBM TUMOR SAMPLES OBTAINED FROM PATIENTS PRIOR TO INITIATING A PERSONALIZED NEOANTIGEN VACCINE THERAPY. PERFORM COMPREHENSIVE FACS ANALYSES AND SINGLE CELL RNA SEQUENCING ON ISOLATED CELLS TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT MAY PREDICT RESPONSE.
PI: David A. Reardon, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Clinical Director, Center for Neuro-Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute