The Cancer Research Society (CRS) and partners have announced their latest cohort of Doctoral Research Awards and Operating Grants. As a partner in these programs, Brain Canada continues to support exceptional research on brain cancer.
2026 Doctoral Research Awards:
Through a $70,000 award over two years, each student receives the support needed to deepen their research, develop specialized expertise, and contribute to new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. This year, Brain Canada, in partnership with the CRS, will fund three outstanding research projects:
Mahya Rezaeifarimani
University of Toronto
Project Title: Novel Blood-brain Barrier Penetrative Nanoparticle Platform for Enhanced Radiosensitization of Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumours
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Liam Wilson
McGill University
Project Title: Deciphering the Cytotoxic Mechanisms and Spatial Regulation of MPO+ Macrophages in Glioblastoma
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Sarah Worfolk
University of Guelph
Project Title: Development of oncolytic HSV-1 to activate necroptosis induced anticancer immunity against glioblastoma
Find out more
Discover the other projects here.
2026 Operating Grants:
Through a $140,000 award over two years, this grant supports researchers whose work advances essential knowledge to better prevent, detect, and treat all types of cancer. This year, Brain Canada, in partnership with Cancer Research Society, will support two team grants focused on brain cancer research.
Moulay Akhloufi and teamUniversité de MonctonProject Title: Radiogenomics AI Foundation Model for Precision Brain Cancer Diagnosis
Find out more Lisa Julian and teamSimon Fraser UniversityProject Title: Investigating cellular heterogeneity in a single-lumen brain organoid model of early mTORC1-driven tumourigenesis
Find out more Discover the other projects here.
“As a society, we have made remarkable advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the last few decades. Yet the outlook for people with brain cancer remains poor. We believe the solutions are out there, and research has the power to uncover them. We are thrilled to continue this partnership with the Cancer Research Society and look forward to moving the needle on our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer.”
- Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada
We would like to congratulate all the recipients and wish them every success in this important work.
Funding Acknowledgement
Support for these projects is made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, and Brain Canada, and The Cancer Research Society.
