The Center for Brain Tumor Research (CBTR) was established July 1st, 2002 under the direction of Jon Robertson, M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and a leading member of the Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute.

The stimulus for developing the CBTR was the recognition that brain tumor patients experience great suffering due to the severity of the illness and inadequate therapeutic options. The purpose of establishing this research effort was to develop a collaborative and multidisciplinary strategy that would lead to a better understanding of brain tumors, and in doing so, create the opportunity for new therapeutic possibilities.

Importantly, no entity within a 200-mile radius specifically investigates cancers of the adult brain and spinal cord. Therefore, this effort will fill a regional gap with respect to brain cancer research and education and begin impacting brain cancer in the Mid-South from a basic science perspective.
Today, over 12 laboratories at UTHSC represent a collaborative effort between neurosurgeons and scientists in the departments of neurosurgery, pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, pathology and molecular biology that is actively studying brain tumors and potential therapies for brain tumors.

Purpose
The purpose of the CBTR is to aggressively develop molecular research for brain cancers, create translational research that converts basic science research into clinical tools or therapies, and combine new technology and therapies with neurosurgical excellence providing patients with a new hope for the future. Ultimately, the primary goal of the CBTR is to generate information and treatment strategies that truly make a difference in the lives of our patients.

• To establish a productive basic science research group that contributes significantly to the scientific literature describing the cell and molecular biology of brain cancers.
• To establish a research model that attracts and supports clinical investigators in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology and neuro-radiology who wish to participate in successful basic science, translational, and clinical research.
• To develop an infrastructure that promotes the continuing education of neurosurgical residents, fellows and medical students in major themes of adult and pediatric brain cancer research.
• To create an environment that unites and synergizes the unique features of clinicians and basic scientists, thereby strengthening the CBTR's capacity for successful research endeavors.