Together we will find a cure
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During Glioblastoma (GBM) Awareness Week, which took place from Monday 17th July, we focused on this most devastating of brain tumour diagnoses, exploring the critical research we are funding, explaining how you can help, and hearing from patients and families affected.
What is a GBM?
- Glioblastoma or GBM is the most common type of primary high-grade brain tumour in adults
- This fast-growing tumour is very challenging to treat due to its complex nature
- The average survival time is devastatingly short – just 12-18 months
- Surgery is the first option for treatment, usually followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy
- The diffuse nature of this type of the disease means tumour cells invade healthy areas of the brain
- Although surgery can be successful in removing some of the tumour, some cells are almost always left behind and continue to grow
- Treatment options are extremely limited and there is no cure
How are we working to find a cure?
Research we are funding at our Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence is at the cutting edge of finding a cure.
- Pioneering research at our Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University of London is focused on developing a way to compare a patient’s own normal neuronal stem cells with their glioblastoma stem cells to help develop unique, patient-specific treatments
- The team at our Research Centre at Imperial College London is in the process of writing an early phase clinical trial protocol for the use of pre-operative arginine deprivation (with the drug ADIPEG-20) and radiotherapy in order to improve treatment options for GBM patients
- At our Plymouth Centre, researchers have identified a range of mutations in brain tumour cells that initiate tumour progression, potentially transforming low-grade gliomas into more immediately life-threatening high-grade gliomas, which include glioblastoma
- The team at our newest Centre of Excellence at The Institute of Cancer Research, where research is focused on paediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas (a group of challenging brain tumours that include those formally known as paediatric glioblastoma), will be generating the laboratory data needed to support the launch of new clinical trials
- We also fund BRAIN UK at Southampton University, the country’s only national tissue bank registry providing crucial access to brain tumour samples for researchers and an essential component in the fight to find a cure for GBM
- Brain Tumour Research is funding Sister Charity braintrust’s Patient Research Involvement (PRIME) which is focused on ensuring clinical projects are aligned with the needs of patients
- We also fund the Brain Tumour Research Novel Therapeutics Accelerator, run by the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, which provides bespoke, independent guidance for researchers to help them position their new therapeutic or technology along a realistic pathway to clinical trials
Help us fund the fight
Your donations are vital if we are to find a cure for this devastating disease. The funds you give help to support cutting-edge research, including an exciting project at our Centre of Excellence at Imperial College, London, where the team is developing a new technology which will be used during neurosurgery to help surgeons remove as much tumour tissue as possible, whilst protecting vital brain tissue. The tool will improve the safety and effectiveness of brain surgery and help to improve patient outcomes. Read more on our blog.
Please donate and help us get closer to a cure, not just for GBM, but for all brain tumour types.
