Sydney neurosurgeon Charlie Teo addressed the US Congress on brain cancer research on Friday.
The briefing was held after Dr Teo's Cure For Life Foundation signed an alliance with the Brain Mapping Foundation and the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics.
It's hoped the new alliance will allow the top brain cancer centres in the world to focus on introducing a new generation of therapies to combat the disease.
NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the address was a "remarkable honour".
"(Dr) Teo is at the forefront of this international quest for answers," Ms Skinner said in a statement.
"He is aiming high - his Cure For Life Foundation hopes to find a cure for brain cancer in 10 years.
AAP reports Dr Teo played down the occasion:
"It wasn't as intimidating as you would have thought," he told The Seven Network. "It was in one of the (Congress) backrooms."
Brain cancer has been the leading cause of death from cancer in Australian children and young adults for the past 20 years.
Dr Teo said the prognosis has remained unchanged for decades while survival rates have lifted for those diagnosed with other types of cancer.
