Brain tumour research to get £18m injection of funding

£18m of funding is being made available to aid projects that will be exploring how brain tumours begin and ways of treating them.

“The human brain has about 100bn neurons and each of those neurons connects to tens of thousands of other neurons – it is incredibly complex,” said Dr Iain Foulkes, CRUK’s executive director of research and innovation. “What we are trying to do here is understand one of the most complex diseases known to humankind, which is cancer, in the most complex of organs. So it is a big challenge.”

The funding, a joint venture between Cancer Research UK and Brain Tumour Charity will encourage researchers to tackle 6 key areas of research, and is part of a £25m boost for brain cancer research over the next five years. The projects that will benefit from the funding are to be announced later in the year.
Cancer Research UK figures show that just 14% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive for 10 years or more, with successful treatment varying from person to person and the advancements with the disease.