BRAIN Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a Glioblastoma Therapeutics Network with $50 million per year for five years to fund collaborative research that moves potential brain cancer treatments from lab studies into early human clinical trials.
• A new public database of brain tumor tissue samples funded by NIH would be created, requiring researchers to report their collections within 180 days (existing) or 60 days (new). Those who repeatedly fail to report could lose federal funding.
• A $10 million national public awareness campaign would educate patients, caregivers, and doctors about cancer clinical trials and biomarker testing, with special outreach to high-risk populations, rural communities, and underserved groups.
• The bill authorizes $10 million per year for a CAR-T cell immunotherapy team science award, funding multi-institutional research on promising cellular immunotherapy treatments for adult and pediatric brain tumors.
• Pilot programs receiving $5 million per year would study models for long-term monitoring and care of brain tumor survivors, including mental health support, care coordination, and tools that may use artificial intelligence.
• The FDA must issue guidance within one year to reduce the exclusion of brain tumor patients from clinical trials designed for other types of cancer, potentially opening up more treatment options for these patients.