2025 was another impactful year for our research, as we poured over £5.5m into pioneering brain tumour projects around the world.
We also announced 16 new grants, including four Quality of Life Awards, three Translational Awards and a landmark clinical trial.
With your support, our research funding is driving the change needed to help all those diagnosed live longer, better lives. It spans many different brain tumour types and now covers every stage of the research pipeline – from early-stage laboratory work through to clinical trials.
Here are some of the year’s standout moments:
We brought hope to families affected by childhood brain cancers
One of our proudest moments of the year was announcing £1.5m of funding for an ambitious clinical trial into childhood brain cancers.
This would not have been possible without support from The Albie Sugden Foundation, Eva’s Angels, Joss Searchlight, The Samantha Dickson Fund, Shay’s Smiles and The Silas Pullen Fund.
CONNECT TarGeT is for people aged 1-25 who have been newly diagnosed with a paediatric high-grade glioma. Once enrolled in the study, participants will be screened to identify the biological profile of their tumour. This will help match them to a drug or combination of drugs that’s most likely to be effective for them.
Looking ahead, we hope that recruitment to the trial will begin in Spring 2026.
We celebrated a milestone for our research community
Our Future Leaders programme encourages the next generation of researchers to study brain tumours as a career. The programme has continued to grow from strength to strength in 2025, providing many opportunities for these researchers to exchange ideas and build connections.
A huge highlight of the year for our Research team was bringing all 13 Future Leaders together in person for the first time. They joined our two-day event at the Wellcome Collection, London, in June.
With three cohorts of Future Leaders now supported through the programme, this event felt like a turning point – a sign of how far we’ve come and what’s still possible.”
Dr Simon Newman, Chief Scientific Officer
We funded projects at every stage of the research pipeline
The Charity provides a wide range of research funding opportunities to help people with brain tumours live longer and better lives.
In August, we announced our first funding awards for translational research – an investment of nearly £1.2 million. Three projects have been awarded up to £400,000 each to help develop promising scientific discoveries into real-world advances. Find out more
We are also taking a new approach to funding quality of life research, which promotes the development of multidisciplinary collaborations. This year, we have awarded a total of £380,000 to four projects that aim to improve quality of life for those living with the effects of a childhood brain tumour. These span a range of topics, including how to manage fatigue and returning to education. Find out more
We hit the headlines sharing insights from our researchers
Our research funding has helped make significant advances in our understanding of brain tumours. Here is just some of the incredible progress that’s been reported on in the past year:
Blocking brain damage
At University College London, Professor Simona Parrinello found that blocking brain damage triggered by a glioblastoma may slow the growth of the cancer. This finding opens up a potential new avenue for treatment. The study received funding from The Oli Hilsdon Foundation (through a Quest for Cures grant from The Brain Tumour Charity).
New therapeutic target
Dr Ángel Álvarez-Prado, one of our Future Leaders, discovered that blocking a protein called ADAR1 can both reduce glioblastoma cells’ ability to multiply and kickstart the immune system. Dr Álvarez-Prado is now evaluating different ADAR1 inhibiting drugs with the long-term goal of improving patient care.
A promising biomarker
A study we part-funded on meningiomas has identified an early warning sign of faster disease progression. This could help doctors more accurately predict the behaviour of meningiomas and tailor treatment. Senior author of the study, Dr Gelareh Zadeh, is currently funded by our Quest for Cures scheme.
We maximised the reach of our research funding
By working together, we can move further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour. This year, we have partnered with several likeminded organisations to co-fund research in areas of shared interest:
- Together with the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, we’ve invested nearly £50,000 into research on paediatric brain tumours. Led by Dr John Apps, the project we’re co-funding is exploring if artificial intelligence can help ensure a faster, more accurate diagnosis. Read more
- As part of the Cancer Tech Accelerator, we’ve awarded £70,000 to help develop liquid biopsies that could speed up brain tumour diagnosis. The project is led by Dr Henno Martin and Dr Radek Lach from the University of Cambridge. Read more
- We partnered with Worldwide Cancer Research to co-fund research into Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG), investing £160,000 as part of a joint £400,000 commitment. Through this partnership, Dr Maria Alieva (Biomedical Research Institute Sols-Morreale, Madrid) and Professor Luciano di Croce (Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona) are exploring new ways of understanding and treating DMG. Read more
We’re picking up the pace in 2026
Thank you to everyone who’s helped make this fantastic progress possible.
There’s plenty more to come! We already have so much to look forward to in 2026, including the announcement of our latest Junior Fellows early in the new year.
We look forward to another year of funding pioneering research into primary brain tumours and keeping you updated along the way.