ARIZONA BIOINDUSTRY ASSOCIATION 2024 Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year:
Nader Sanai, MD
A MISSION TO DEFEAT BRAIN CANCER
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lioblastoma is one of the deadliest, most complex and treatmentresistant cancers. It is currently incurable. Survival rates haven’t risen in decades and a new FDA-approved therapy hasn’t been introduced in as long. Federal funding for brain tumor research lags well behind other cancer research and this margin continues to widen. Patients are left with few options and dire odds. But there are always exceptions, says Dr. Nader Sanai, the 2024 Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year, and he’s committed to making each patient an exception. To see this mission to completion and find a cure for this devastating disease, Dr. Sanai founded the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. With large-scale funding from the Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation and the Barrow Neurological Foundation, the Ivy Center was established in 2018. In assembling the world’s largest Phase 0 clinical trials program, the Ivy Center offers state-of-theart clinical trials never attempted in the field of neuro-oncology. As a neurosurgeon and principal investigator, Dr. Sanai oversees these impactful early-phase studies in the operating room and then moves to the lab to determine whether the experimental therapy is having an effect in his patient’s tumor. Promising therapies are accelerated in their development, while
worldwide patient population. In 2024, the Ivy Center partnered with GSK to sponsor the Gliofocus Study, a global, randomized, controlled Phase 3 clinical trial that will enroll 450 patients in over 120 clinical sites across 11 countries. The results of the study will form the basis for potential worldwide approval of a new standardof-care therapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients. “The pivotal Phase 3 Gliofocus Study represents a crucial step forward to transform outcomes for glioblastoma patients worldwide,” says Dr. Sanai. “At the Ivy Center, we are committed to pioneering new standards of care that redefine possibilities in brain cancer treatment.”
unpromising ones are shut down rapidly. “Our clinical trials preserve the one commodity all brain cancer patients have in short supply — time,” Dr. Sanai says. A global stage The success of the Phase 0 program has prompted acceleration of new drugs to the
“Our clinical trials preserve the one commodity all brain cancer patients have in short supply — time.” Dr. Sanai
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Inspiring the next generation Having completed over 4,500 brain tumor operations since 2011, Dr. Sanai is one of the country’s busiest brain tumor neurosurgeons. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and delivered more than 200 national and international lectures. His groundbreaking work is supported by leading granting agencies, including the NIH and the NCI. Dr. Sanai leads a dynamic, multidisciplinary team of more than 50 physicians, scientists, nurses and staff from around the world, all driven by an ambition and dedication to changing the face of brain cancer care. As a mentor, he guides aspiring investigators and clinicians, as well as oversees one of the nation’s only neurosurgical oncology fellowships. Through his relentless pursuit of a cure for brain cancer, Dr. Sanai inspires new generations of clinicians and researchers, united in a mission to change the realities for patients facing the fight of their lives.