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Leading Private Funder of Glioblastoma Research Invests in Three Cancer Center Scientists

December 6, 2023 by jta6n@virginia.edu

University of Virginia's Natasha Sheybani, PhD (Left), Hui Li, PhD, Roger Abounader, MD, PhD

from left: Natasha Sheybani, PhD, Hui Li, PhD, and Roger Abounader, MD, PhD

Each year, top-tier scientists worldwide apply to the Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation for grants to support their pursuit of treatments for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)—the most common and deadliest adult brain tumor. In 2023, the applicants included three UVA Cancer Center researchers: Natasha Sheybani, PhD, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering; Hui Li, PhD, a Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pathology; and Roger Abounader, MD, PhD, a professor of microbiology, immunology and cancer biology. All three received awards—a rare success rate for a single institution. Sheybani, Li, and Abounader each received the $600,0000 Translational Adult Glioma Award.

Catherine Ivy said, “We are pleased to support the work of the talented scientists and clinicians at UVA Cancer Center, whose work will aid in the mission to find a cure for the devastating disease of glioblastoma. Their innovative research will contribute to the identification of drug strategies to be studied in the Ivy Brain Tumor Center’s early-phase pharmacodynamic- and pharmacokinetic-driven clinical trials.”

Read the complete story in Investing in Hope

Filed Under: Honors & Awards, Philanthropy, Research