Who we fund
We are excited to be funding some of the leading brain tumour researchers in the UK. Find out more about them, their work and their motivation in our interviews below.
The field of brain tumour research is greatly varied, with over 130 different tumour types in existence, therefore we fund researchers who each have different expertise. Our researchers are investigating how changes to our genes are linked to tumour development, how our immune system can be primed to attack tumour cells and how drugs can be developed which target the tumour cells only, among many other areas of research.
Adult Brain Tumour Researchers
Researchers investigating adult brain tumours.
Paediatric Brain Tumour Researchers
Researchers studying paediatric brain tumours and
Clinical Trial Researchers
Researchers who have opened clinical trials.
Quality of Life Researchers
Researchers who are focused on improving the Quality of Life for people living with the effects of a brain tumour.
Working with us
If you are a researcher in the field of brain tumours, find out how we can work together in moving further, faster towards cures.
Adult Brain Tumour Researchers
Here are the researchers we are currently funding to investigate and further our understanding or find new treatments for adult brain tumours
Dr Youri Hoogstrate
Using AI to Better Understand and Predict Brain Tumour Growth
Dr Youri Hoogstrate’s research at Erasmus Medical Centre has found that as IDH-mutated tumours progress, they lose specific chemical tags on their DNA. In this project, the team aim to develop a computer program that uses these patterns to predict tumour growth and patient survival.
Dr Pau Creixell
Targeting protein kinases to develop effective drugs for glioblastoma
Dr Pau Creixell is the leader of the Creixell Group under Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. The work of him and his team is centred on studying the inhibition of tumour growth by preventing the activation of key protein kinases. Other studies of importance include cellular signalling specificity, molecular recognition and novel targeted therapies.
Dr Emily Bates
Exploring the use of “smart viruses” to treat glioblastoma
In this project, Dr Emily Bates is focusing on adapting viruses to specifically target GBM cells. Since GBM cells are able to “hide” from the immune system, Dr. Bates wants to use these viruses to target GBM cells and deliver immunotherapy drugs.
Dr Mathew Clement
Using the immune response to target glioblastoma
Dr Mathew Clement’s research has shown that a substance called Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is produced in large amounts in GBM. By blocking IL-10 with antibodies, Dr Clement believes this could allow the immune system to fight the cancer.
Dr Charlotte Eaton
Understanding the origin of meningiomas to develop targeted treatments
Understanding the origin of meningiomas to develop targeted treatments
is aiming to improve knowledge of the origin of meningiomas by using several key laboratory techniques. She will use a combination of DNA and RNA sequencing which will help the researcher to pinpoint potential drivers of disease.
Dr Antonio Carlos Fuentes Fayos
Identifying unique protein markers in brain tumours to develop new immune-based treatments
Dr Antonio Carlos Fuentes Fayos is focused on finding better treatments for high grade brain tumours by exploring the tumour ‘immunopeptidome’, which refers to tiny pieces of proteins, or ‘protein markers’, that can activate the immune system to fight cancer cells.
Dr Bo Sun
Using T-Cell signals to detect and track gliomas
Dr Bo Sun’s project is looking at developing a way of using blood samples to predict whether a patient’s tumour might regrow following treatment. Bo hopes to be able to develop a way of detecting the presence of tumour regrowth earlier after surgery.
Professor Khuloud Al-Jamal
Finding New Targets for Glioblastoma
Immunotherapy Treatments
Professor Khuloud Al-Jamal is looking into how to advance current immunotherapy treatments for GBM, the most aggressive type of brain tumour in adults. Their research uses tiny particles, known as lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), to deliver special instructions to the immune system. Their goal is to use these nanoparticles to switch off the molecules that prevent the immune system from attacking glioblastoma and switch on those that encourage the immune system to fight the cancer cells
Dr Lucy Stead
Using Mini-Brain Models to Study
Glioblastoma Treatment Responses
Dr Lucy Stead and her team are looking at why GBM tumours become resistant to treatment when they regrow after surgery. Their project focuses on growing miniature brains called brain organoids, and adding tumour cells to create new models. These models are very complex, and have features like immune cells that we see in patient tumours.
Dr Manish Aghi
Exploring the immune cells in skull bone marrow to treat glioblastoma
Dr Manish Aghi is a neurosurgeon specialising in brain tumors at UCSF Medical Center. He is principal investigator at the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center and has over fifteen years of experience in glioblastoma research.
Professor Michael Brown
Boosting the immune system to combat glioblastoma
Professor Michael Brown is a specialist physician in clinical immunology and medical oncology and a pathologist in laboratory immunology. He is the Head of Translational Oncology at the Centre for Cancer Biology, a Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist at Royal Adelaide Hospital, and the Director of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Clinical Trials Unit.
Dr Jun Ishihara
Elimination of recurrent glioblastoma using tumour-collagen targeted IL-12
Dr Tyler Miller
Reprogramming glioma-associated myeloid cells to enable effective immunotherapy
Dr Tyler Miller is a Research Fellow at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. Tyler is mentored by Professor Bradley Bernstein.
Dr Spencer Watson
Multi-Omic Analysis of Environment-Mediated Glioblastoma Dormancy and Recurrence
Dr Spencer S Watson is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Lausanne Department of Oncology, Switzerland. Spencer is mentored by Professor Johanna Joyce.
Dr Spencer S Watson is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Lausanne Department of Oncology, Switzerland. Spencer is mentored by Professor Johanna Joyce.
Dr Ángel Álvarez Prado
Hijacking an innate immune mechanism present in all malignant cells
Dr Ángel Álvarez Prado at the University of Lausanne is developing a novel therapeutic approach to treat glioblastoma by inhibiting ADAR1 in combination with TME-targeted immunotherapies, targeting cancer cells and their supporting microenvironment.
Dr Ola Rominiyi
Investigating DNA repair on a cell-by-cell basis in glioblastoma
Dr Ola Rominiyi at the University of Sheffield is researching DNA repair in glioblastoma on a cellular level to identify treatment vulnerabilities. His work aims to create new treatment strategies with DNA repair inhibitor drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects.
Dr Christopher Mount
Engineering cells of the immune system to target the complex mixtures of cells in adult and paediatric gliomas
Dr. Mount from Harvard Medical School is developing a new approach to treat gliomas by engineering immune cells to specifically identify and destroy multiple types of cells within the tumour.
Dr Mara De Martino
Shining a light on the role of lipid metabolism as a barrier to successful brain tumour treatment
Dr Mara De Martino at Weill Cornell Medicine is investigating the connection between lipid metabolism and immune escape in glioblastoma. Her goal is to identify molecules that promote treatment resistance and develop novel treatments targeting lipid pathways to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness against brain malignancies
Dr Gelareh Zadeh
Liquid biomarkers to change meningioma treatment
This project is advancing research into how aggressive meningiomas can be diagnosed and how their treatment responses can be predicted. In collaboration with a major UK-led clinical trial and using advanced artificial intelligence, the team are striving towards tomorrow’s clinical care
Professor Neil Carragher
Targeting, treating and defeating glioblastoma
Professor Carragher will adopt a systematic approach to find new drug targets and new drug combinations to treat glioblastomas. In addition to discovering new combinations of drugs, they’ll continue their work by testing drug combinations already discovered by their team. This grant will allow researchers to suggest new combinations of therapies which have the greatest chance of being effective and well-tolerated in people. We hope that these new therapy combinations will signify a real step-change in the lives of people with a glioblastoma, improving quality of life and length of survival.
Professor Petra Hamerlik
The Brain Tumour Charity Chair of Translational Neuro-Oncology
As part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre‘s ambition to bring together world-leading scientists to tackle cancer, Professor Petra Hamerlik will lead a team of experts focusing on two main areas of neuro-oncology research: Understanding and preventing therapeutic resistance in glioblastoma and early detection of brain tumours using liquid biomarkers.
Professor Simon Parrinello
Mapping glioblastoma cells
Professor Parrinello, and her colleagues at University College London, aim to understand how glioblastomas spread into the brain and how they use small molecules as messengers to communicate with surrounding cells.
Paediatric Brain Tumour Researchers
Here are the researchers we are currently funding to investigate and further our understanding or find new treatments for paediatric brain tumours.
Dr Maria Alieva
How the Brainstem Microenvironment Shapes Gliomas in Children
Dr Maria Alieva and her team in Spain are investigating how DMG starts and spreads. By better understanding how the tumour environment influences cancer development she hopes to find clues towards vital new cures.
Professor Luciano di Croce
Blocking Brain Tumour Growth by Targeting a Key Growth Factor
Professor Di Croce and his team have identified a possible new way to precisely target DMG. They aim to establish exactly what drives DMG tumours and investigate the best target for a potential new treatment.
Dr Elizabeth Cooper
Exploring How Cells from the Skull Can Help Brain Tumours Hide from the Immune System
As a neuroimmunologist, Dr Cooper studies the intricate interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system, focusing on their roles in normal brain development and the formation of childhood brain tumours.
Professor Barry Pizer
Improving treatment options for children diagnosed with rare tumours of the central nervous system
Professor Barry Pizer is a researcher at Alder Hey, Liverpool who focuses on paediatrics and paediatric oncology. He also has history as a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist.
He is working on this project alongside Dr Katja von Hoff.
Improving treatment options for children diagnosed with rare tumours of the central nervous system
Improving treatment options for children diagnosed with rare tumours of the central nervous system
Dr Katja von Hoff is a researcher in Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. She specialises in brain tumours such as medulloblastoma, ependymoma and paediatric tumours.
She is working on this project alongside Professor Barry Pizer.
Dr David Jones
The Everest Centre
The Everest Centre is being financed by The Brain Tumour Charity with money raised by the family and friends of Toby Ritchie, who was diagnosed with a low grade brain tumour at the age of five.
The centre will fund several, vital research projects that will help us understand more about low grade paediatric brain tumours and trial new treatments.
Professor Juan Pedro Martinez-Barbera
Targeting non-dividing cells in childhood high-grade tumours
Professor Marcel Kool
Growing model brains in the search for new treatments
Dr Jessica Taylor
Identifying a specific subtype of brain tumour without surgery
Dr Jessica Taylor at the University of Cambridge is developing a novel strategy called ADCIPs to identify and treat WNT-medulloblastoma, a highly curable brain tumour in children, without the need for surgery.
Dr Rameen Beroukhim
Investigating transcription factors in development
Dr Beroukhim’s team are doing an in-depth analysis of two transcription factors, one that they suspect drives low grade brain tumours and the other that may drive high grade brain tumours. Ultimately they’ll be looking for ways to use drugs to return transcription to normal levels, and stop tumour growth.
Professor Louis Chesler
Targeting SRC in childhood gliomas
One of our ongoing grants identified a protein called SRC that may be driving group 4 medulloblastomas in children. This type of tumour has been notoriously difficult to study and to treat. This new research will delve into the role of SRC in starting and motivating tumour growth, and the team will be using sophisticated lab models to test a new drug to target it.
Professor Richard Gilbertson
No brain tumour ignored
This grant is for a large programme of work into two different rare childhood brain tumours. Professor Gilbertson will focus on three main areas of work: making better models to use in the lab, discovering and testing new drugs, and trialling the best way to deliver new drugs to tumours.
Clinical Trial Researchers
Here are the researchers we are currently funding to open clinical trials to study new treatments for brain tumours and to determine their effectiveness.
Professor Susan Short
ARISTOCRAT: A randomised phase II study of temozolomide with or without cannabinoids in patients with recurrent glioblastoma
Professor Susan Short and her team will explore the benefit of cannabis derivatives as a form of treatment to improve both length and quality of life for people living with recurrent Glioblastoma.
Professor Colin Watts
The Tessa Jowell BRAIN-MATRIX
A first-of-its-kind clinical trial enabling doctors to treat brain tumours with drugs that are more targeted than ever before.
Although the trial is being led from the UK, we expect it to deliver global impact for brain cancer patients.
Professor Simon Bailey
HR-MB Clinical trial for children with high-risk medulloblastoma
Professor Simon Bailey is conducting an international clinical trial to evaluate the advantages of different chemotherapy and radiotherapy strategies for high-risk medulloblastoma patients.
Quality of Life Researchers
Here are the researchers we are currently funding to investigate find new ways to improve the quality of life of those living with the effects of a brain tumour.
Dr Akanksha Senapati
Exploring the role of genetics on children’s quality of life
This research is led by Dr Debbie Hicks and Dr Akanksha Senapati and is taking place across three major children’s hospitals – Newcastle, Manchester, and Liverpool. Researchers will collect blood samples, medical records, and perform cognitive tests to explore how genetics influence long-term cognitive health. By identifying genetic risk factors, this research could help doctors predict which children are most at risk of long-term effects and develop targeted interventions to protect and improve their cognitive health, leading to better long-term quality of life.
Dr Debbie Hicks
Exploring the role of genetics on children’s quality of life
This research is led by Dr Debbie Hicks and Dr Akanksha Senapati and is taking place across three major children’s hospitals – Newcastle, Manchester, and Liverpool. Researchers will collect blood samples, medical records, and perform cognitive tests to explore how genetics influence long-term cognitive health. By identifying genetic risk factors, this research could help doctors predict which children are most at risk of long-term effects and develop targeted interventions to protect and improve their cognitive health, leading to better long-term quality of life.
Dr Sarita Depani
Supporting children returning to school after a brain tumour
Dr Sarita Depani aims to evaluate existing support systems and identify the strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement for children returning to school after a brain tumour. The findings will guide the development of a national, evidence-based intervention designed to offer consistent, long-term support for children with a brain tumour diagnosis.
Ms Sharon Tuppeny
Managing fatigue in children living with the effects of a brain tumour
This project, jointly led by Vicky King and Sharon Tuppeny, will explore SpoonieKids, a therapy based on Spoon Theory. This is a method that helps people manage fatigue by visualising their energy levels as ‘spoons.’
This project aims to test whether SpoonieKids is a good tool for managing fatigue in children who are living with the effects of a brain tumour by trialling it with a small group of 20 children.
Ms Vicky King
Managing fatigue in children living with the effects of a brain tumour
This project, jointly led by Vicky King and Sharon Tuppeny, will explore SpoonieKids, a therapy based on Spoon Theory.
This project aims to test whether SpoonieKids is a good tool for managing fatigue in children who are living with the effects of a brain tumour by trialling it with a small group of 20 children.
Dr Faye Didymus
Creating a roadmap for better, evidence-based support for children living with brain tumours
This project, led by Dr Faye Didymus at Leeds Beckett University, is focusing on improving quality of life for childhood brain tumour survivors.
Project THRIVE aims to create clear guidance for healthcare professionals and researchers by exploring various approaches, such as emotional support and lifestyle strategies, to improving quality of life. It will also gather insights directly from survivors, ensuring their voices shape future care.