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2010 Ivy Research Awards Summit: An Inside Look

Ivy 2010 Research Award Summit held in Phoenix, AZ.Ivy 2010 Research Award Summit held in Phoenix, AZ.What takes place at the Ivy Foundation Research Awards Summit? We want to provide you with an inside look at this year’s annual meeting including the agenda, goals, discussion topics and participants.  This meeting is critical to the Ivy Foundation because it is a reflection of our approach to funding and the issues that are important to us:

  • Achieving our mission: Each and every research project we support must help to achieve our mission - improving treatments and diagnostics of patients with brain tumors.
  • Measuring impact: Measurement is critical – we need to assess how each project is progressing and its’ impact on the clinical care of patients.
  • Incorporating our values: All of the Foundation’s operations, from the review process to monitoring of funded projects to the Research Awards Summit, incorporate our values of efficiency, accountability, collaboration, transparency and integrity. 

These values reflect the way Ben and Catherine Ivy operated their business and the business-like way we operate our foundation.

James R. Heath, PhD of the California Institute of Technology makes a point while George Coukos, MD, PhD of the University of Pennsylvania listens.James R. Heath, PhD of the California Institute of Technology makes a point while George Coukos, MD, PhD of the University of Pennsylvania listens.

Efficiency

The Ivy Foundation Research Awards Summit is more than just a meeting where PIs present updates on their projects. It is the continuation of an integral hands-on process that starts when a researcher applies for funding.

All applications go through a rigorous two-step review process with three distinct strategic goals:

  1. To fund the best science possible
  2. To fund research that embodies a Patient-Focused Research perspective.
  3. To fund research that best fits the objectives of the RFP

The entire review process, from submission of an application to final approval by the Board of Directors, takes approximately 3 months. The Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer Network, composed of key researchers from academia, industry and government, is an essential component in making sure we meet all of our goals in selecting Ivy-funded Research Projects.

Ivy Foundation Strategic Advisor Brett Davis, MBA shares his thoughts with Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer David Parkinson, MD.Ivy Foundation Strategic Advisor Brett Davis, MBA shares his thoughts with Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer David Parkinson, MD. Accountability

Once a research project is funded, the Ivy Foundation staff works with each PI to develop a milestone-based timeline that becomes the basis for the on-going evaluation conducted during the life of the project.  The Research Awards Summit is one point of evaluation in this process.

Collaboration

This year’s meeting provided the opportunity for everyone involved with the foundation – awardees, reviewers, board members, strategic advisors, HHMI-Ivy fellows and staff to participate and hear first-hand about each of the research projects.

The goals of the meeting were straightforward:

  1. Review research project results and their implications;
  2. Identify ways the research projects can be strengthened to maximize impact; 
  3. Identify areas where PIs can collaborate and/or share resources.

Mike Berens, PhD of TGen and Michael Prados, MD of UCSF discuss their research projects.Mike Berens, PhD of TGen and Michael Prados, MD of UCSF discuss their research projects.

All of the participants attending the meeting were expected to offer their ideas about ways projects could be strengthened through open and candid discussion.

The meeting agenda consisted of individual presentations followed by panel discussions divided into topics reflecting the Ivy Foundation Patient-Focused Treatment Paradigm: “Tomorrow’s Scenario”.

  • “Is Therapy Working?” – Disease Monitoring and Detection through Noninvasive Biomarkers
  • “What Treatments are Available and what is the best option for me?” – Preclinical and Clinical Therapeutics Testing
  • “What Treatments are Available and What is the Best Option for Me?” – Strategies for Identifying Combination Therapies
  • “What Questions in Tumor Biology are Key for Realizing Tomorrow’s Scenario?” – Views from the Patient-Focused Research Perspective

Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer Heidi Phillips, PhD makes a clarification.Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer Heidi Phillips, PhD makes a clarification.

Transparency

Prior to the meeting all participants were provided with a detailed description of each research project. As part of their individual presentations, each PI was required to present background and achievements as well as specifically highlight the major challenges of their research project. The panel discussions that followed individual PI presentations were moderated by a member of the Ivy Foundation Scientific Reviewer Network. It was at these panel discussions that participants provided direct feedback to PIs and commented on the challenges.  Topics discussed included:

  • Identifying the critical path activities of projects’ milestone-driven timelines.
  • Applying findings to answering key clinical questions in the Patient-Focused Treatment Paradigm.
  • Approaches and time needed to put legal agreements in place.
  • Sharing genomic profiling data across projects in real-time.
  • Back-up strategies for potentially negative findings.
  • Interpretation of results in the context of GBM molecular subtypes.
  • Selection of markers of “stemness” in glioma cancer stem cells.
  • Developing metrics to better discern direct anti-tumor activity from imaging artifacts or effects on tumor microenvironment.
  • Correlating molecular imaging data with anatomic localization of corresponding gene expression data.
  • Data from preclinical projects that may influence entry criteria and drug selection for Ivy-funded clinical studies.

Integrity

At the end of the day-long meeting, participants gathered in small groups to identity specific action items for their research projects as well as areas for collaboration with other Ivy funded PIs. Following the meeting, Ivy Foundation staff will contact each PI to discuss implementation of these action items and collaborations. In this way the Foundation facilitates “cross-talk” among PIs as well as leverages the work done by researchers.

Catherine Ivy stressed the importance of investing wisely in research to have the greatest impact in helping patients.Catherine Ivy stressed the importance of investing wisely in research to have the greatest impact in helping patients.As Catherine Ivy related to participants at the start of the meeting “Your due diligence is critical in making sure that we have the best information possible so we can invest our dollars wisely and have the greatest impact in helping patients.”

It is the mission of the Ivy Foundation to improve treatments and diagnostics for brain tumor patients. By bringing together leaders in the research community who share our goal of improving care for patients as well as value collaboration and communication, the Ivy Foundation believes our Research Awards Summit provides a unique environment to achieve that mission.

If you have any comments or questions about the Ivy Foundation Research Awards Summit please feel free to contact us at info@ivyfoundation.org