Metastatic Brain Tumor Collaborative - CNS Metastasis Research Grants

Metastatic Brain Tumor Collaborative - CNS Metastasis Research Grants

Award Amount: $50,000

Duration: One-year seed funding

Purpose: Support high-risk, high-impact projects with the potential to transform how metastatic brain tumors are detected and managed.

Focus Areas:

CNS metastases diagnosis and treatment

Immunotherapy for brain metastases

Tumor biology

Biomarkers of treatment response

Improving diagnosis of metastatic brain tumors

Eligibility Requirements:

Each funded project must address CNS metastases arising from at least two distinct primary cancer types

Research must have potential benefit to adult and/or pediatric populations

Researchers addressing metastatic brain tumors from:

- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Colorectal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Other cancer types

Geographic Scope: United States

Background: CNS metastases are the most common type of brain tumor in adults, occurring when cancers spread to the brain or spinal cord. Despite affecting more than 200,000 people in the U.S. each year, this patient population remains vastly underrepresented in research and clinical care.

Partner Organizations: This collaborative grant program is made possible through the collective effort of ten leading nonprofit cancer organizations:

American Brain Tumor Association (Lead)

Kidney Cancer Association

LUNGevity Foundation

Melanoma Research Foundation

Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance

Aim at Melanoma

Fight Colorectal Cancer

Go2 for Lung Cancer

Living Beyond Breast Cancer

Susan G. Komen

Society for Neuro-Oncology

2025 Recipients:

Sherise Ferguson, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - "Evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of NK cell immunotherapy for CNS metastasis"

Alireza Mansouri, MD, PhD, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine - "Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomic Signatures of Leptomeningeal Disease"

Contact Information:

American Brain Tumor Association

8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste 550

Chicago, IL 60631

Phone: 773-577-8750

Website: abta.org/metastatic-brain-tumor-collaborative