Brain Cancer

Annually, over 80,000 will be diagnosed with a brain tumor, with about 30% of those tumors leading to a cancer diagnosis (National Brain Tumor Society). Due to the location of a brain tumor, whether benign or malignant, individuals who have them are also more likely to have long-term impacts on mental, cognitive, and physical abilities due to the growth and pressure on nearby areas of the brain. Not only are brain tumors incredibly dangerous due to their location, but when cancerous, they tend to grow rapidly and spread. Malignant brain tumors are likely to grow quickly and spread into other tissues.

Since its inception, Cancer Center at Illinois researchers have been tackling the most aggressive form of brain cancer: glioblastoma. Our scientists are working together, across disciplines, to better understand glioblastoma with the long-term goal of developing more effective treatments for the disease. Recently, CCIL researchers received a large grant to develop biomaterials that mimic components of the human skull – which may have positive implications for individuals who undergo surgery to remove cancerous tumors.

Researchers

Fan Timothy Headshot

Timothy Fan

Program Leader, Cancer Discovery Platforms

Professor, Veterinary Clinical Medicine

Images of Rex Gaskins

H. Rex Gaskins

Associate Director for Education

Professor, Animal Sciences

Brendan Harley

Brendan Harley

Program Leader, Cancer Discovery Platforms

Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Paul Hergenrother Headshot

Paul Hergenrother

Deputy Director

Professor, Chemistry

Image of Ling Meng

Ling Jian Meng

Professor, Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering

Fan Lam

Fan Lam

Assistant Professor, Bioengineering

Hua Li Headshot

Hua Li

Adjunct Research Associate Professor, Bioengineering

Medical Physicist, Carle Cancer Center

Olgica Milenkovic

Olgica Milenkovic

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Photo of Sara Pedron

Sara Pedron Haba

Research Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Image of Pablo Perez Pinera

Pablo Perez-Pinera

Associate Professor, Bioengineering

Image of Jun Song

Jun Song

Professor, Physics

Headshot of Michael Spinella

Michael Spinella

Professor, Comparative Biosciences

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Departments

Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Animal Sciences, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiological Engineering, Bioengineering, Physics, Comparative Biosciences