Announcing our latest funding collaboration with Worldwide Cancer Research
The Brain Tumour Charity has 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 to tackle this devastating childhood brain cancer.
By Lucy Grist
Since 2017, Worldwide Cancer Research has collaborated with leading cancer research funders through its Curestarters partnerships, supporting innovative projects that accelerate the discovery of new treatments and cures.
Previously known as DIPG, DMG is the second most common type of high-grade brain tumour in children. These aggressive tumours develop in the midline of the brain and, due to their location, are often inoperable. Treatment options remain extremely limited, underscoring the urgent need for new research.
Through this partnership, Dr Maria Alieva and Professor Luciano di Croce have both been awarded funding to explore new ways of understanding and treating DMG, offering hope to families affected by this diagnosis.
DMG research projects we’re co-funding with Worldwide Cancer Research
Learn about the projects we’re co-funding that aim to better understand DMG to help work towards cures.
How the Brainstem Microenvironment Shapes Gliomas in Children
Dr Maria Alieva and her team in Madrid 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.
Dr Maria Alieva
Dr Maria Alieva is Head of her independent research group at the Biomedical Research Institute Sols-Morreale CSIC-UAM. Her work focuses on biomedical image analysis and data integration and aims to improve cell therapies against cancer through innovative imaging and data integration techniques.
Blocking Brain Tumour Growth by Targeting a Key Growth Factor
Professor Luciano Di Croce and his team have identified a potential 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. By the end of this project, they hope to have moved an important step closer to finding a cure for this devastating childhood cancer.
Professor Luciano Di Croce
Professor Luciano Di Croce is the co-coordinator of the Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer Programme at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain. Research in his lab focuses on understanding genetic changes in the early stages of tumour growth.
Worldwide Cancer Research are the only UK charity to focus solely on funding discovery research into any cancer type, anywhere in the world. We are delighted to have teamed up with the Brain Tumour Charity to fund two incredibly innovative projects, both investigating diffuse midline gliomas. We urgently need new cures for this rare but incredibly aggressive type of cancer, so we are very excited by the projects led by Prof Luciano Di Croce and Dr Maria Alieva – both have huge potential to transform our understanding of this disease and to lead to new treatments for patients. Working together with The Brain Tumour Charity makes the donations from our Curestarters go further and helps us reach a day where no life is cut short from cancer sooner.
Dr Nicola Hawkes, Head of Research Funding at Worldwide Cancer Research
We’re delighted to be co-funding these projects led by extremely talented brain tumour researchers based in Spain. Research like this is crucial as it could uncover kinder ways to treat gliomas and ultimately lead to new treatments that give children with these tumours the chance to survive. By partnering with Worldwide Cancer Research, we’re combining our strengths to back bold, early-stage ideas with real potential to spark life-changing breakthroughs.
Dr Simon Newman, Chief Scientific Officer at The Brain Tumour Charity
