The Sontag Foundation Awards $2.25 Million to Brain Cancer Research

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Rezul -- e Sontag Foundation announced the recipients of its 2025 Distinguished Scientist Award (DSA), providing $2.25 million in research funding for three early-career investigators in brain cancer research.

Awarded through a highly competitive scientific review process, the Distinguished Scientist Award recognizes scientists with the potential to make a significant impact in the field and improve the lives of patients and families impacted by a brain cancer diagnosis.

Since its founding, the Foundation has invested more than $85 million at academic medical institutions across North America.

The following recipients will each receive a total of $750,000 to advance their research on brain cancer:

• John Liu, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
  Defining mechanisms of glioblastoma treatment resistance using spatially-resolved CRISPR perturbations
• Tyler Miller, MD, PhD, Case Western Reserve University
  Overcoming myeloid-mediated immunosuppression to improve glioblastoma immunotherapy
• Christina Tringides, PhD, William Marsh Rice University
  Personalized multifunctional electrocorticograms for glioblastoma treatment

The Distinguished Scientist Award is granted annually to investigators at a pivotal stage of their careers to support research that may open new directions in understanding and treating brain cancer.

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"Brain cancer is a deeply personal challenge for so many families, including mine," said Rick Sontag, President of The Sontag Foundation. "That reality is what drives our commitment to advancing scientific discovery and accelerating efforts to diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent this disease."

"I've had the great fortune of working with and being mentored by multiple Sontag DSA scientists throughout my career, and I've witnessed the positive impact of the support and community," said John Liu, MD, PhD, one of the 2025 award recipients. "Having first received the ASCO-Sontag Young Investigator Award and now the Distinguished Scientist Award, I am incredibly excited to continue this scientific journey and go even bolder with the generous support of the Sontag Foundation. Being part of the DSA community represents a truly unique catalyst for collaboration toward our shared mission of ending brain cancer."

A complete list of 2025 Distinguished Scientist Award recipients and additional information about the award program are available at https://sontagfoundation.org/meet-the-grantees.

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Distinguished Scientist Award recipients also convene through Foundation-supported scientific gatherings that encourage collaboration and the exchange of ideas across disciplines. In February 2026, the Foundation will host its 23rd annual scientific summit in Amelia Island, Florida. The keynote speaker features Mac Stone, a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, a National Geographic Society Explorer, and a senior fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Mac strives to expose the dynamic relationship between mankind and the natural world to drive meaningful conservation initiatives. His images have been widely published and awarded in international competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year.