Breakthrough for Brain Tumors Michigan 5K

May 17, 2025

Despite the overcast skies and cooler temps, hundreds of people gathered in Kensington Metropark on Saturday, May 17 to bring awareness and raise funds at the American Brain Tumor Association's Breakthough for Brain Tumors 5K. Chaz Hong, MD, PhD, MSU Foundation Research Professor, and Chuck Williams, PhD, Associate Professor of Research were part of the Honorary Host Committee. Hong and Williams have been researching Glioblastoma, a so-far incurable brain cancer. You can read more about their work here.

People of all ages showed up to support the event, celebrating survivors and remembering loved ones who lost their battle. Meeting patients or their family members and hearing their stories inspires Hong and his team to keep developing a promising new compound, Ogremorphin (OGM), which targets glioblastoma cells while sparing normal brain cells, potentially transforming brain cancer treatment. 

"I love the quote 'All cures - past, present, and future - come from research' because it shows how important medical research is," Hong says. "Patients are waiting, even those who aren't sick yet."

From the organizer, "It was an honor listening to [Dr. Hong] speak on Saturday. I know I can speak for everyone when I say that we really enjoyed the speech – I was especially interested about the trajectory of AIDS over the years and how, one day in the future, we hope that the same will happen for brain tumors. That they will be something that people can live with, and that medical students will see fewer and fewer cases in the years to come."