Chicago, Ill. (NOVEMBER 10, 2026) The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) announces more than $1.5 million in new research grants to accelerate brain tumor science and care in 2026. ABTA’s research funding program targets vital funding gaps and accelerates pioneering approaches in the fight against brain tumors.
“For far too long, progress in brain tumor care has been constrained by a lack of dedicated research funding. An unfunded idea is a lost opportunity for a patient searching for options,” said Kelly Sitkin, President & CEO at the ABTA. “The ABTA’s 2026 grants bridge critical funding gaps so groundbreaking science can evolve into real hope for brain tumor patients.”
These newly awarded grants cover several adult and pediatric tumor types—including glioblastoma, meningioma, diffuse midline gliomas, medulloblastoma, chordoma—while addressing diverse areas of research, including immunotherapy, radioresistance, focused ultrasound, and RNA biology. Funding a broad range of research topics is crucial to ensure breakthroughs translate into clinical answers, while covering understudied or novel mechanisms.
“The ABTA’s research grants provide investigators with the vital resources needed to test daring concepts, build proof-of-concept ideas, and gain new avenues of study,” added Nicole Willmarth, PhD, Chief Mission Officer of the ABTA. “This is a field where effective treatment options remain far too sparse, and these grants serve to propel high-potential science from the lab toward life-changing patient care.”
The ABTA funds researchers across all levels of their careers, from early-career researchers beginning their journey to seasoned experts leading transformative investigations.
The ABTA celebrates the 2026 grant recipients listed below.
Research Collaboration Grants are two-year $200,000 grants, to support interdisciplinary team science projects that combine resources to streamline and accelerate progress in the brain tumor field.
- Challice Bonifant, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in collaboration with Dean Anthony Lee, MD, PhD, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
- Siddhartha Mitra, PhD, University of Colorado, Denver, in collaboration with Renee Read, PhD, Emory University
Basic Research Fellowships provide $100,000 grants over two years to postdoctoral fellows conducting laboratory-based brain tumor studies under the mentorship of leading neuro-oncology researchers.
- Kathryn Blethen, PhD, Duke University School of Medicine
- Spencer Lea, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- Shuai Wang, PhD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Discovery Grants are one-year, $50,000 awards supporting bold, innovative ideas that could transform how brain tumors are diagnosed or treated.
- Defne Bayik, PhD, Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami
- Koen Breyne, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Andrea Comba, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Matthew Gallitto, MD, PhD, Columbia University
- Ruli Gao, PhD, Northwestern University
- Christopher Garris, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Fada Guan, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Catalina Lee Chang, PhD, Northwestern University
- Francesca Nazio, PhD, University of Rome Tor Vergata
- Christina von Roemeling, PhD, University of Florida
- Dionysios Watson, MD, PhD, Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami
- Liangqi (Frank) Xie, PhD, Cleveland Clinic
- Eunhee Yi, PhD, Michigan State University
Medical Student Summer Fellowships are three-month, mentor-guided summer research experiences, intended to motivate talented medical students to pursue a career in neuro-oncology research.
- Matthew Abikenari, MSc, Stanford University
- Markus Anzaldua-Campos, BA, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
- Noah Drewes, BS, Northwestern University
- Min Jae Kim, BS, University of Pennsylvania
- Cathy Li, BA, Cleveland Clinic
- Braxton Morrison, ScM, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
- Saahith Potluri, BS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Roland Scott, BA, Columbia University
To learn more about ABTA grant recipients and their research projects, visit https://www.abta.org/2026-grant-recipients/
These grants would not be possible without the support of our donors and our partner organizations including: BrainUp, The Gladiator Project, Joel A. Gingras Jr. Foundation, Minds over Tumors, Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation, StacheStrong, Tap Cancer Out, and Team Schladt Foundation.
Applications are open now for the 2027 ABTA Research Grants, including Discovery Grants, Basic Research Fellowships, Jack and Fay Netchin Medical Student Summer Fellowships.
To learn more about available funding and deadlines, visit abta.org/grants.
