Explore All Funded Research
Our database of currently and previously funded projects makes it easier than ever to learn about the research we fund. Search awards by keyword, pediatric brain tumor type, type of science, and institution.
Advancing Research
Our Research Funding’s Impact
Since 1991, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation has funded childhood brain cancer research at major institutions around the world. Learn how we're unlocking answers and accelerating breakthroughs to improve survival and quality of life outcomes for all pediatric brain tumor patients and survivors.
A Partner In Innovation
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation works with the scientific community and patient families to identify and address critical gaps in pediatric brain tumor research. Our seed funding makes it possible for researchers to take big swings and develop promising projects to the point where they’re ready for larger government-funded grants. For every dollar we invest in scientific innovation, investigators have been able to raise an additional twelve dollars.
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s support has led to paradigm-shifting discoveries such as:
A New Treatment Developed Specifically for Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients
Children with brain cancer are treated with procedures and drugs developed more than 50 years ago for adults. After the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s seed funding uncovered a new way to target pediatric low-grade gliomas – the most common type of childhood brain tumor – DayOne Biopharmaceuticals named targeted therapy DAY101 as their first priority for widespread development. The FDA has awarded this oral, brain-penetrant drug its Breakthrough Therapy, Rare Pediatric Disease, and Orphan Drug designations, and it’s on its way to becoming the first approved treatment option developed specifically for pediatric brain tumor patients.
Genomic Sequencing for More Targeted Treatments
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s early investment in whole-genome sequencing has informed targeted therapies for at least seven clinical trials and will continue to impact the field for generations. We recently funded a project that is collecting and studying molecular information from all over the world to pinpoint alterations that could be prompting some pediatric low-grade gliomas, which are typically slow-growing and non-cancerous, to behave and spread like cancerous tumors. If researchers can identify these molecular alterations, doctors can examine future low-grade gliomas for their presence and adjust treatment strategies to attack these tumors more aggressively.
Faster and More Accurate Diagnoses
After identifying the need for intensive, pediatric-focused collaborations, PBTF provided the funding to launch SNO’s Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference and has served as its premier patient advocacy partner for more than a decade. This biennial meeting offers participants a dedicated opportunity to present and learn about pediatric brain tumor research advancements.
At the Center of Collaboration
Ending pediatric brain cancer requires a united effort from researchers, healthcare institutions, patient advocacy organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and the government. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is at the center of this collaboration, providing funding and strategic leadership to consortiums focused on solving specific challenges and conferences where scientists and clinicians across institutions and disciplines can learn from each other.
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s support has launched pivotal initiatives such as:
Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States' Statistical Report on Childhood and Adolescent Brain Cancer
In 2022, we funded a first-of-its-kind statistical report by the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS) to increase scientists’ and the public’s understanding of childhood brain cancer’s scope and severity. The results revealed that pediatric brain cancer is the childhood cancer community’s biggest crisis and provided insights that are shaping our response to this growing public health problem through advocacy, research funding, and family support.
Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) Operations Center
PNOC’s Operations Center, made possible by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s start-up funding, coordinates the activities and clinical trial protocols of more than 25 participating research centers around the world. Dedicated pediatric neuro-oncology laboratories and multidisciplinary teams work together to rapidly identify and implement new clinical trial concepts focused on patients’ tumor-specific molecular and genetic make-up.
Society for Neuro-Oncology’s Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference
After identifying the need for intensive, pediatric-focused collaborations, we provided funding to launch SNO’s Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference and have served as its premier patient advocacy partner for more than a decade. This biennial meeting offers participants a dedicated opportunity to present and learn about pediatric brain tumor research advancements.
Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma/Astrocytoma Coalition
This coalition includes clinicians and researchers from seven countries and 19 research institutions whose goal is to accelerate the pace of research into the most common form of pediatric brain tumors. Participants convene to find common ground for evaluating and treating PLGA patients and identify a scientific direction to better understand these low-grade tumors and target them for eradication.
Peter A. Steck Memorial Lecture and Recognition Award for Young Investigators
Our funding helped establish this lecture which has been delivered by world-renowned experts at Harvard Medical School, the Ludwig Institute, MD Anderson National Cancer Institute, Salk Institute, Scripps Research Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of California at San Francisco, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and the University of Toronto. Recipients of the recognition award have included young investigators at Baylor College of Medicine, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Duke University, MD Anderson, Stanford University, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia.
Pediatric brain tumor patients, their families, and doctors depend on the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to make sure progress towards a cure doesn't stop. But while the need for childhood brain cancer research grows, funding isn't keeping up. Help us close the research funding gap. Donate or start a fundraiser today.
The largest patient advocacy funder of pediatric brain tumor research, we won’t stop until there’s a cure for every childhood brain tumor. If you are a scientist, clinician, or fellow who is conducting or interested in pediatric brain tumor research, learn about open opportunities for research funding or email us to connect with our team today.
