Neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Linskey and neuro-oncologist Dr. Daniela Bota, co-directors of UC Irvine’s Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program, have received an initial gift of $250,000 from a grateful patient to support research into better treatments and possible cures for malignant spinal cord and brain tumors – which kill about 10,000 Americans annually. Among other areas of inquiry, Bota (pictured) and Linskey study how to mitigate or prevent the loss of PAX6, an important tumor-suppression gene for the central nervous system. Philanthropists Sue and Ralph Stern made the gift after Linskey, Bota and their team successfully treated a tumor within Sue Stern’s spinal cord.