ironmatt Research GrantS

Pediatric brain tumor research is a long and expensive process.

It can take years to complete a single study. And it can take well over 15 years and $5 billion to turn a laboratory discovery into a new drug that impacts a patients’ life.

A scientist operating a research lab spends $50,000 to $500,000 each year on equipment and salaries, plus $20,000 or more a year for materials used in the lab. They need anywhere from $300 to $500 for cancer cells to use in just one experiment and as much as $800 on a single bottle of specialized solution.

This investment in time and resources is significant, but the potential impact is incalculable. Research is the only way we will discover and deliver cures to children with pediatric brain tumors — and IronMatt is dedicated to supporting research into this terrible disease.

Since 2007, our Board of Directors has worked to fulfill the IronMatt mission to financially support families living with pediatric brain tumors and to fund research in the hopes of finding a cure. 

The Grant Program, driven by top physicians on our Medical Advisory Committee, continues to review groundbreaking project proposals from cancer researchers around the country.  

As of 2024, IronMatt has granted nearly $7 million, funding 83 important research projects at institutions across the U.S. and Canada. 

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Our Rigorous Review Process

At IronMatt, we use a rigorous peer review process to select research grants. Peer review is a grant review process used by many organizations, including the National Institute of Health, to determine which research grants will be funded. 

Through this process, we strive to fund the very best research — funding projects that have the potential to advance the field and impact patients’ lives as rapidly as possible.

Grant applicants are encouraged to submit pre-clinical and clinical grant requests for pediatric brain cancer. Grants are evaluated via our peer review process by the Medical Advisory Committee (MAC).

Apply to the Matthew Larson Research Grant today, and join the fight against childhood brain cancer.

How to Apply

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To be considered for the 2025 research grant, applicants must first submit a letter of intent by November 17, 2024

Our MAC will review your letter of intent, and if selected, you will be invited to submit a formal application.

2024 IronMatt Grant Award Winners

 Dr. Michael Koldobsky

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Targeting Epigenetic 
Plasticity in ATRT

One Year Grant @ $75,000

Dr. Jillian Wise

Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
A Combined Microfluidics and Computational Approach to Identifying Resistance Biomarkers in Pediatric Brain Cancer

One Year Grant @ $100,000

Dr. Aparna Bhaduri

University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Developing Novel Human Cell Models of Pediatric Brain Cancer

One Year Grant @ $100,000

 

2023 Grants Awarded Second Year Funding @ $75,000

Dr. Jamie Anastas

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.                                         Therapeutic Targeting of Serotonin and Cyclin Dependent Kinase Signaling in DMG

Dr. Antony Michealraj

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA.             Targeting Metabolic and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities of Lethal Pediatric Ependymomas 

Dr. Jun Qi

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Development of SMARCA4 Inhibitor with BBB Penetration for Brain Cancers

Dr. Winson Ho

The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) Inhibition to Enhance cGAS-STING Mediated Tumor

Dr. Rintaro Hashizume

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Immunogenicity in Medulloblastoma, 
Intranasal Delivery of PDGFRA-Targeted Nanotherapeutics for Treating Pediatric High-Grade Glioma

Previous Grant Recipients

A pediatric brain tumor diagnosis is not a journey anyone should travel alone.

Together, we can free families from financial stress and fight childhood brain cancer.

Together, we are strong. We are fearless. We are IronMatt.

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IronMatt Grants in the News

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