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 2025, IronMatt has granted over $8 million, funding 92 important research projects at institutions across the U.S. and Canada.
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
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.
2025 IronMatt Grant Award Winners
First Year Funding of Three Year Grant @ $150,000
Dr. Pratiti Bandopadhayay
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Overcoming Resistance to Chemotherapy in Infant Brain Tumors
Dr. Karisa Schreck
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Effect of Targeted Therapy on Tumor Microenvironment in BRAF-Altered Glioma
Dr. Sameer Farouk Sait
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
A Phase I Dose-Escalation Trial of Intracerebroventricular Radioimmunotherapy Using 89Zr/177Lu-DTPA-Omburtamab in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients with Recurrent or Refractory B7H3 Expressing Primary or Metastatic CNS Tumors
Dr. Lindsay Schwarz
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Influence of Catecholamine Signaling on DMG
Dr. Sujatha Venkataraman
University of Colorado, Denver, CO
Testing the Preclinical Efficacy of Logic-Gated CAR-T Cells in Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT)
One Year Grant @ $100,000
Dr. Frank Lin
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
An Early Phase Trial of C7R-GD2.CAR T Cells for Treatment of High-Grade Pediatric CNS Tumors
Dr. Michael Koldobskiy
John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Targeting Epigenetic Plasticity in ATRT
Dr. Christina Fong
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Armored EphA2 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy for Pediatric Embryonal Tumors
Dr. Bethany Veo
University of Colorado, Denver, CO
Targeting Methylome in Radiation-Resistant MYC-Amplified Medulloblastoma
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
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.
IronMatt Grants in the News
Donor Appreciation Dinner Kicks Off a Season of Giving
Every donation made to IronMatt has a positive effect on kids dealing with a brain tumor diagnosis, but there are a number of individuals that consistently go above and beyond in their
IronMatt Grant Recipient Finds Promising Medulloblastoma Therapy Target
Current treatments have improved the survival rate of children with medulloblastoma, but children who fall under the high-risk category are prone to having the tumor spread to other parts of
IronMatt Acknowledged for Funding Groundbreaking Results in Clinical Trials
A phase 1 trial of a treatment for DIPG, or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, looks promising. DIPG is an aggressive type of childhood cancer that forms in the brainstem. With
