Your Dollars In Action

Billy Grey Chair of Research

Billy Grey died of glioblastoma multiforme on July 13, 2001, just before his 13th birthday. His life was one of remarkable strength, courage and love. Billy was at ease with people of all ages, giving him insight and sensitivity to others. Billy never once lost his passion and spirit for life. He was an exceptional athlete-whether it was hockey, baseball, or any other sport. Billy loved his three years at Albany Academy, where he grew both scholastically and as a human being. He was posthumously granted an honorary degree for completion of middle school, and in honor of Billy, the school established a scholarship in his name for a seventh grade student who exemplified the true character of the Academy. Billy was honored for a similar award at the Academy upon completion of the sixth grade.

These research chairs will be strengthened by the spirit and character in which Billy lived his life and changed the lives of those he encountered. He would have wanted his struggles to have meaning and make a difference for those to come.

2002
Evan M. Hersh, MD
Dendritic cell and dexosome interaction with glioblastoma multiforme
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

2004 - 2005
Duane A. Mitchell, MD, PhD
Identification and immunologic targeting of HCMV antigens expressed in malignant gliomas
Duke University
Durham, NC

2006
Gregory Hannon, PhD
Genetic approaches to new therapeutic targets in brain cancer
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory New York

2007 - 2008
Duane A. Mitchell, MD, PhD
Clinical development of dendritic cell vaccines targeting brain tumor stem cells
Duke University Durham, NC

2009
Eric C. Holland, MD, PhD
Investigating the role of DNA damage response in gliomagenesis and “cancer
stem cell” resistance to irradiation
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

2010
Mark W. Kieran, MD, PhD
Paraffin based sequencing of the human kinome in pediatric ATRT
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA

2011
Marcus Bredel, MD, PhD
Integrated pharmacogenomic/pharmacokinomic approach to optimize GBM therapy
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL

2012 - 2013
Alexandra Joyner, PhD
Identification of genes and cell behaviors regulated by Shh/Gli2 signaling in the cell of origin of a major subtype of medulloblastoma using novel genetic tools in mouse models
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

2014 - 2016
Dollars raised from 2014-16 have funded new research initiatives including Defeat GBM carried out by an all-star collaboration of brain tumor researchers spanning the country. (www.defeatgbm.org) The Initiative has discovered new strategies to target potential vulnerabilities in GBM and identify new drug development strategies.