TO: Supporters, Partners, and Stakeholders
FROM: Office of the President, Bridge To A Cure Foundation
DATE: June 2026
SUBJECT: CASE UPDATE: A Decade of Difference
FIELD REPORT: THE CHALLENGE
MEMORANDUM
Ten years ago, I discovered a systemic failure in pediatric medicine that had a tremendous impact on children. The status quo in pediatric brain tumor research was, by all accounts, a fragmented and broken system that hurt children regardless of the outcome. I found isolated institutions, siloed data, and a horrific lack of progress that cost children bright futures. The vision for Bridge To A Cure Foundation, presented to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on October 5, 2017, was not just a plan; it was an indictment of the way things were and a framework for the way they must become.
EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS
This 2025 Annual Report, titled “A Decade of Difference,” serves to showcase how the system is changing and how, over the last 10 years, our investments, influence, and activism have dismantled the barriers to discovery and created an environment of accelerated paths toward meaningful progress for pediatric brain tumor research. You will learn about:
- The world’s largest pediatric brain tumor data resource is now accessible to
researchers globally. - Adoption of the M3 approach, integrating biology, diverse data types,
and multidisciplinary expertise to form a more complete view of a child’s health. - The deployment of the Real-time Analysis and Discovery in Integrated And
Networked Technologies (RADIANT) project, an AI-empowered infrastructure that
bridges the gap between raw data and clinical science. - Replacing the failed and horrific standard of care treatment with nontoxic
treatments.
THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Our work is not yet completed, but it exemplifies the progress we promised more than 10 years ago. Over this period, Bridge To A Cure has generated more than $1.5M in philanthropic funding and helped unite 35 collaborating institutions to accelerate the search for nontoxic, precision treatments, which remains our highest priority.
NEW OPERATIONAL DIRECTIVE
To scale our impact, the Bridge To A Cure Foundation is officially joining forces with the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN). This is a strategic move that will allow us to sustain the mission. The evidence is clear: Collaboration is the fastest path to a cure. We thank you for standing with us as visionary explorers on this journey.
Together for Kids,
Robert Martin, Founder & President
EXHIBIT A:
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO
Background
The investigation began with a journey that exposed a broken system. For decades, pediatric brain tumor research was crippled by fragmented data, limited collaboration, a lack of tools, and stagnated progress. The toxic treatments generally prescribed for adults have failed at every level, posing long-term health risks for children.
On October 5, 2017, just three days before the passing of his granddaughter, Clara, Bob Martin presented a strategic framework to the National Cancer Institute detailing a different approach that would serve as the blueprint for how science, technology, and data could bridge the gap between terminal diagnoses and actual cures.
EXHIBIT B:
MISSION DEBRIEF
The investigation into the last decade confi rms that Bridge To A Cure has executed a
multifront approach to transform childhood brain tumor research. The strategy is built
upon Bridge To A Cure’s strategic approach across three critical areas of infl uence:
DATA & AI
Unlocking discovery by sharing data and applying advanced technology.
• PROGRESS
Researchers now access large, integrated datasets and analyze them with artificial intelligence to more easily identify patterns that lead to new treatments faster than ever before
NONTOXIC TREATMENTS
Accelerating the search for safer therapies.
• PROGRESS
Children deserve treatments that save lives without compromising future quality of life. Nontoxic treatments are essential to this objective. Precision medicine is becoming the standard of care.
COLLABORATION
Uniting the global pediatric brain tumor research community.
• PROGRESS
Researchers within the childhood brain tumor community are quickly abandoning the old model of working in silos and embracing a shared learning, shared data, collaborative approach.
