Funding for innovative research project kicks off the commemoration of the Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network’s (CERN) 20th Anniversary Year
CERN is a program of the National Brain Tumor Society
National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) today announced that Siri Ippagunta, PhD, of the Mack Lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 CERN & Robert Connor Dawes Scientific Fellowship. The fellowship—a joint funding effort between the Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN), a program of NBTS, and the Robert Connor Dawes (RCD) Foundation—will support research that targets the tumor’s internal shipping system by blocking XPO1, a protein ‘courier’ that carries messages out of the cell’s nucleus, and pairing that approach with other treatments that may work better together. The goal is to move these findings from the lab into a clinical trial for children with ependymoma.
“The highly prestigious CERN Fellowship program was created in 2016, capitalizing on the tremendous expertise and knowledge in our leadership network,” said CERN Executive Director Kim Wallgren. “In this unique round of collaborative funding, we decided to build on a multi-year investment in ependymoma research in the Mack Lab through the National Brain Tumor Society’s Flagship research effort, the DNA Damage Consortium, to capitalize on the outstanding scientific work completed to date. The fellowship is a complementary yet separate project that highlights an early career scientist under expert mentorship to further the field and build capacity in ependymoma research. This is an important actionable step towards progress.”
The award will provide two years of support for Dr. Ippagunta’s fellowship in the Mack Lab.
“We are proud to be partnering with the National Brain Tumor Society for our fifth CERN Ependymoma Fellow,” said Liz Dawes, founder of the RCD Foundation. “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with CERN in helping to advance young researchers working on ependymoma since losing our 18-year-old son Connor to this disease in 2013. We congratulate Siri and wish her all the best over the next two years.”
Ependymoma is a rare and challenging tumor of the brain and spine, with ZFTA-RELA–driven disease representing a particularly aggressive subtype. Preclinical work from the Mack Lab has shown that ependymoma cells depend on XPO1 and that selinexor, an oral XPO1 inhibitor capable of crossing the blood–brain barrier, can suppress tumor growth in laboratory and mouse models—potentially enhanced by combinations with agents already evaluated in children (e.g., gemcitabine or ribociclib). Dr. Ippagunta’s fellowship will expand testing across patient-derived models, evaluate combinatorial strategies with radiation, and generate the evidence base for a future clinical trial in children with ependymoma.
“Our goal is to bring new hope—and new treatments—to children and families affected by this devastating disease,” said Dr. Ippagunta. “Support from the NBTS/CERN fellowship will enable testing of these new treatments to optimize clinical translation.”
About the Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN)
The Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN) is a program of the National Brain Tumor Society dedicated to improving the care and outcomes of people with ependymoma through coordinated research, clinical studies, and patient engagement.
About the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation
The Robert Connor Dawes Foundation supports pediatric brain matters in the areas of research, care, and development in memory of Robert “Connor” Dawes.
About the National Brain Tumor Society
Building on over 30 years of experience, the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) unrelentingly invests in, mobilizes, and unites the brain tumor community to discover a cure, deliver effective treatments, and advocate for patients and caregivers. Our focus on defeating brain tumors and improving the quality of patients’ lives is powered by our partnerships across the science, health care, policy, and business sectors. We fund treatments-focused research and convene those most critical to curing brain tumors—once and for all. Learn more at BrainTumor.org.
