DUKE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Dr. Ravi Bellamkonda and his team focus on research initiatives exploring the intersection of biomaterials and nanotechnology as applied to brain tumor therapies.

Tumor Disruptor Project

The objective of this project is to determine if an electrical stimulation regimen can selectively disrupt or stall cancer cell growth. If this is possible, the goal will be to build a chip-like device and electrode to implant next to the tumor.

Tumor Targeting “Vaccine”

This novel project is focused on developing a tumor seeking vaccine that has 2 distinguishing features: (a) the vaccine “pursues” the tumor cells; and (b) the vaccine alerts the host immune system and induces tumor death.

Our Research Partnerships

To date, Ian’s Friends Foundation has committed millions of dollars toward pediatric brain tumor research at the cutting-edge research institutions listed below.