Prime Highlight
- The University of Plymouth secured £2.8 million from Brain Tumour Research to fast-track the development of more effective brain tumour treatments.
- The funding aims to move promising drug-repurposing research from the laboratory into clinical trials, offering renewed hope for patients.
Key Facts
- Around 13,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours annually in the UK, with many facing delayed diagnoses and limited treatment options.
- The five-year funding will support work led by Professor David Parkinson to advance therapies and improve patient outcomes.
Background
The University of Plymouth has secured £2.8 million to expand its research into more effective and faster treatment options. The funding, granted by the charity Brain Tumour Research, will support work aimed at repurposing existing drugs and moving them more quickly towards clinical trials. Researchers said the investment will help speed up progress in an area where treatment options remain limited.
Professor David Parkinson, head of neuroscience at the University of Plymouth, said the support would drive major advances. “This funding is incredible. It will enable us to advance our research over the next five years and move our work from the lab into clinical settings. It has the potential to make a real difference for patients with brain tumors,” he said.
Patients in Plymouth say the announcement brings fresh hope. Glenn Lilley, who underwent brain tumor surgery in 2021, called the funding ‘a game-changer. His tumour was missed on an MRI scan four years earlier, and he was later told he had only months to live before surgery saved his life.
Another patient, Craig Russell from Falmouth, underwent major surgery after doctors at Derriford Hospital had to replace his skull, which had become severely deformed by a tumour that had been growing for 15 years. He said the experience left lasting physical and emotional effects. “My life has been changed forever,” he said.
Brain Tumour Research estimates that around 13,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year in the UK. Numerous patients experience delays in receiving a diagnosis and have access to only limited treatment options.
Scientists hope the new funding will push forward treatments that can offer better outcomes and brighter futures for patients and their families.
