Game changing collaboration in Scotland will help find a cure for brain tumours

Two leading cancer charities are working to establish a research centre in Scotland to help find a cure for the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

Brain Tumour Research and Beatson Cancer Charity plan to open the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, in a unique collaboration based at laboratories at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow.

World-leading brain cancer experts will work to find a cure for glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain tumour with a devastatingly short average survival time of 12-18 months.

The announcement has been welcomed by people in Scotland affected by brain tumours, such as Antiques Roadshow expert and Patron of Brain Tumour Research, Theo Burrell, who was diagnosed with a GBM in June 2022 after suffering from symptoms for six months.

Theo, 37, who underwent life-extending surgery, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, said: “This announcement is great news for brain tumour patients like me in Scotland.

“Although I continue to make the best of each day, my tumour will return, and it will kill me. My care has been excellent and new advances in science have helped me so far. However, only by funding research into brain cancer can we get closer to a life-saving cure.”

Claire Cordiner, from Edinburgh, has lost four members of her family to brain tumours, three of which were from GBM.

“To know there will be a Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence opening in Scotland is just fantastic news,” said Claire.

“Nobody knows why this is happening to our family and others over and over again. There are no answers because nobody knows why, so it’s vital we get the funding for this research to happen and for breakthroughs to be made.

“Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, but they don’t receive the funding they should. People need to be aware of how much this devastates families, and the funding needs to be there to investigate this devastating illness.

“To hear there are developments coming out of the Scottish Centre would be incredible. It would mean so much to me and my family that people are listening, and people are doing something about it.”

More than 1,000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year. Of those, 433 people are diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour.

The complexity, diversity and rapid growth of GBM, make it difficult to develop treatments. With funding, researchers in Edinburgh and Glasgow would be able to increase the number of clinical trials for GBM patients in Scotland and improve outcomes.

Home to the largest group of multidisciplinary GBM researchers in the UK, the Centre will bridge the gap between promising new discoveries and patient benefit, from laboratory to bedside.

Dan Knowles, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: “New, improved treatments for GBM patients are desperately needed.

“At present, new discoveries and approaches are not progressing quickly enough into clinical testing in patients. The Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence will help bridge this gap leading to pivotal preclinical proof-of-concept data to support clinical trial development for patients.

“The Centre represents a significant investment in Scotland and would complement our other Centres of Excellence at the University of Plymouth, Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, and the Institute of Cancer Research.”

Martin Cawley, CEO of Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “This is such an exciting initiative and one which has the positive potential to make a significant impact into advancing research and ultimately new treatment options for brain tumours.

“Beatson Cancer Charity is delighted to be working in partnership with Brain Tumour Research to make this happen. I have no doubt this will result in a deeper understanding of the complexity of brain tumours and lead to a breakthrough in exciting new treatments in the years ahead.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK.

It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.