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Discovery Grants

The ABTA’s Research Program supports both established and new scientists in discovering more about the causes, effects, diagnosis, and treatment of brain tumors.

ABTA Discovery Grants

Discovery Grants are one-year, $50,000 grants for high risk, high impact research with the potential to change current diagnostic or treatment models. Grants are intended to provide seed-funding for early-stage faculty-level researchers to develop their new ideas, and to get the preliminary data needed to apply for larger grants.

The ABTA is accepting Letters of Intent through December 11, 2024.

Your research can make a difference

Jennifer Chang, PhD, and Mike Olin at the AACR 2022 Annual Meeting

The ABTA funded a Discovery Grant for Michael Olin, PhD, in 2012 to study how glioblastomas suppress the immune system. During this study, he discovered an immunosuppressive protein that was upregulated in response to anti-tumor vaccines.

Dr. Olin now has a way to block it, and has founded a drug company, OX2 Therapeutics, to produce the inhibitor. He and his colleagues have tested the drug in a clinical trial for companion dogs. Development of the human inhibitor is now complete and a Phase I trial is ongoing for patients with high-grade brain tumors. Dr. Olin and his colleagues hope to extend the trial to other solid tumors in the near future.