We are delighted to announce the winner of the British Neuro-Oncology Society (BNOS) Young Investigator Award 2023, which Brain Tumour Research is proud to co-sponsor. 

The award, which recognises an early-career researcher who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of neuro-oncology in the UK, has been given to Tim Ritzmann for his work on ependymoma. 

Tim is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Oncology at the University of Nottingham, where he and his colleagues are working to understand the underlying biology of paediatric ependymoma.  

He said: “It is a real honour to be awarded BNOS Young Investigator of the Year 2023. Whilst it is personally very humbling to be recognised in this way, it is important to remember that research is a team endeavour, and that none of this would have been possible without the support of both my clinical and academic colleagues in Nottingham and collaborators across the world. In a time when increasingly specific and rare brain tumour diagnoses are being made, the scientific progress we need can only be achieved through working together across international borders.”   

Ependymoma is the second most common high-grade brain tumour in children. It is an aggressive tumour which has its worst impact on the youngest children. For several decades there have been no significant leaps in improvement of standard of care therapy. The therapies that we currently use are not effective enough in delivering cures, particularly when the tumour relapses. The current therapies also risk damaging the developing brain. 

Tim is not only investigating how areas within the same tumour are different to one another in order to identify targets for treatment, he is also working on the current SIOP Ependymoma II clinical trial, which aims to improve the accuracy of the primary diagnosis of ependymoma and define the most appropriate therapeutic strategies in children, adolescents, and young adults. 

As well as receiving this prestigious honour, Tim receives an award of £2,000 to attend one (or more) neuro-oncology conferences. 

Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Innovation and Policy, said: “The work being conducted by Dr Tim Ritzmann on ependymomas, a brain tumour with poor outcomes for the youngest children, is extremely exciting and we are proud to be able to support him with the Young Investigator Award. We look forward to the results of his endeavours leading to kinder and more effective treatment options.” 

Related reading: 

• Five minutes with Tim Ritzmann – BNOS Young Investigator of the Year 2023 
• Read our latest research news