The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research has named Dr. Mariella Filbin, Research Co-Director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the recipient of the 2026 Emerging Leader Award, recognizing her innovative work to advance treatment options for aggressive childhood brain tumors.
Dr. Filbin will receive $750,000 over three years to support her research project, Neuronal-Activity-Driven DNA Repair in Diffuse Midline Gliomas. Her work explores how these tumors hijack normal brain activity to repair their own DNA, an insight that could lead to new strategies to overcome resistance to radiation therapy and improve outcomes for pediatric patients.
"Families facing diffuse midline gliomas urgently need better treatment options. This award allows us to ask new questions about why these tumors resist therapy and how we might interrupt those processes, with the hope of translating these discoveries into more effective care for children," said Dr. Filbin.
The Mark Foundation's Emerging Leader Award program supports early-career investigators whose bold research has the potential to transform cancer care. Since its launch in 2018, the program has awarded more than $40 million to scientists driving innovation across oncology.
"Now more than ever, it is vital that we provide robust support to early-career scientists, ensuring they have the resources and freedom to pursue their most ambitious ideas," said Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, CEO of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. "By investing in investigators like Dr. Filbin, we are enabling the next generation of breakthroughs in cancer research."
Dr. Filbin's research focuses on diffuse midline gliomas, a group of rare and devastating brain tumors that primarily affects children and young adults and currently have limited treatment options. Her work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center aims to identify new and improve existing vulnerabilities that could be leveraged to make therapies more effective.
