Why a new Scottish brain tumour research centre is said to be 'game changing'

Researchers in both Edinburgh and Glasgow will join together

Two leading cancer charities are set to establish what is being described as a ‘game-changing’ brain tumour research centre in Scotland in a bid to find a cure for the most aggressive form of the disease..

Brain Tumour Research and the Beatson Cancer Charity will bring together leading experts in the field to develop treatments for the highly aggressive brain tumour glioblastoma (GBM) in partnership with Glasgow University and Edinburgh University.

The centre will be home to the largest group of GBM researchers anywhere in the UK. GBM is a highly aggressive brain tumour with a devastatingly short average survival time of 12-18 months. 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.

Theo Burrell and Dan Knowles

Brain Tumour Research chief executive Dan Knowles 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.”

Beatson chief executive Martin Cawley 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.”

The announcement was welcomed by those impacted by brain tumours, including Antiques Roadshow expert Theo Burrell – who underwent life-extending surgery after being diagnosed with a GBM in 2022.

“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,” Ms Burrell – a patron of Brain Tumour Research – said.

“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.”

While Edinburgh-based Claire Cordiner – who lost four members of her family to brain tumours, three of which were from GBM – said the announcement was “just fantastic news”.

“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.