Driving discovery together
How your support is transforming Brain Tumour Research
Every breakthrough begins with someone who believes change is possible. At the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ’s Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, that someone is you. Thanks to your generosity, researchers are accelerating the search for kinder, more effective treatments for low grade brain tumours - conditions where current options remain limited and often life changing.
Low grade glioma, meningioma and schwannoma affect thousands of people in the UK each year, yet research into these tumours has long been underfunded. Your donations are helping to change this story. With your support, the Centre is expanding its team, equipping laboratories with cutting‑edge technology, and driving research that has the potential to transform lives.
Your impact in action
Because of you, we are able to:
- Grow research teams by funding new posts dedicated to tackling under researched tumour types.
- Support pioneering trials, including work repurposing existing drugs - such as HIV medications now being tested on tumours.
- Invest in advanced equipment, like the newly funded low oxygen cell incubator, which allows researchers to grow tumour cells in conditions that closely mimic the human brain. This is already opening doors to testing therapies directly on patients’ own tumour cells.
- Expand the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Biobank — a vital collection of patient‑linked tumour samples, blood, genetic data and clinical information. This resource accelerates scientific discovery and strengthens the pathway from laboratory insight to real‑world treatment.
Leadership for a new era
Guiding this exciting phase of discovery is Professor David Parkinson, Professor of Neuroscience and the newly appointed Director of the Centre.
Under his leadership, scientists, clinicians and specialists are uniting to create meaningful change for the more than 100,000 people in the UK living with a brain tumour and the long‑term consequences of a diagnosis.
“It is an honour to lead the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Centre into this exciting new chapter. By working across disciplines, and focusing on translating discoveries from the lab to the clinic, we aim to make a real difference to patients and their families.â€
Professor David Parkinson
Together, we are changing the future
Every hour of research, every new technique, every step towards a breakthrough is made possible by donors like you. You ensure the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ team can explore new pathways - from finding drugs that boost radiotherapy to testing whether treatments for other diseases could offer hope for brain tumour patients.
Your belief in this work is creating momentum, possibility, and hope. Thank you for being at the heart of this research.
Researchers at our Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence have been awarded a transformative £2.8 million grant from Brain Tumour Research. This remarkable support will accelerate pioneering work to understand and develop new treatments for low grade brain tumours, where current options remain limited.
Over the next five years, this funding will empower our scientists to push forward life changing discoveries. We are deeply grateful to Brain Tumour Research for their generous commitment to advancing hope for patients and families.
Meet a researcher
One of the rising scientific talents that donations are supporting is Libby Hasell Williams, a Â鶹Æƽâ°æ graduate whose postdoctoral role is funded by the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
“I have recently completed my PhD, and it is really lovely to get funding to continue my work. Meningioma and schwannoma are under researched, and it is a field I’ve become really connected to. I feel I’ve already accomplished a lot - but I want to take it further."
Libby’s work deepens the understanding of tumour behaviour, and helps pave the way for future therapies.
