Ivy Blog

As a research technician in our preclinical lab, James McNamara assists identifying and targeting therapeutic vulnerabilities using preclinical models of GBM. Learn more about James’ work at the Ivy Center and his inspirations for joining the neuroscience field.

Highlighted in this month’s “Staff Spotlight" is Aja Pedersen, our new Administrative Coordinator supporting Dr. Mehta's and her team. Aja shares what it means to her to work at the Ivy Center and why she chose to work in the medical field

As a PhD candidate in our preclinical lab, Costanza Lo Cascio has dedicated years towards studying glioblastoma. Costanza's research paper was recently published and identified a specific enzyme that can be exploited to develop more targeted therapies when treating this deadly cancer.

As a research technician in our preclinical lab, Ernesto Luna Melendez assists in the analysis of a patient's tumor and evaluates whether novel treatment regiments are effective in killing glioblastoma cells. Learn more about Ernesto's work at the Ivy Center and his inspirations for joining the neuroscience field.

As a neurosurgical oncologist at Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Kris Smith was determined to improve the outcome for brain tumor patients. But when his father was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the battle against brain cancer became all the more personal.

Dr. Nader Sanai is an internationally recognized neurosurgical oncologist, but his experience with brain cancer doesn't date back to the start of his career. It began at a young age when his Aunt Zhilla was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Years later, Dr. Sanai found himself inspired to follow a similar path of the neurosurgeon who cared for his aunt.

As a research technician in our Preclinical Lab, Connor White plays an important role in ensuring that only new promising targets with excellent brain penetration properties move into our Phase 0 trials.

“GBM is a disease that is very, very aggressive and very difficult for patients and their families to deal with,...

As a research technician, Jennifer Molloy plays a fundamental role in the Ivy Center's pharmacodynamic lab. With her background in biological sciences and experience as a research intern at the University of Arizona, Jen assists in the facilitation of collection and analysis of tissue for our Phase 0 clinical trials. Jen's passion for science and research makes her a invaluable asset for the Ivy Center team.

World-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert F. Spetzler, recalls his sister-in-law's diagnosis with glioblastoma and the personal connections that guided him through his career.