The condition is the ninth most common cancer in the UK and affects 12,300 people annually
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) have announced a new innovative package of research funding to stimulate brain tumour research in adults, children and young people.
The announcement emerges from a collaboration between charities, research funders and the government, which pledged £40m to develop new lifesaving and life-improving research.
Currently the ninth most common cancer in the UK, affecting around 12,300 people every year, according to the Brain Tumour Charity, brain tumours occur when a growth of cells in the brain multiplies in an abnormal, uncontrollable way.
In 2018, members of the brain tumour community united to design a national strategy and the government committed funding for new research, following the late Dame Tessa Jowell’s call to action on behalf of brain tumour patients.
In its next step, the new suite of initiatives was announced at a parliamentary roundtable on 14 May 2024 and marks the development of new treatments for brain tumours and improving patient care.
Funding through the TJBCM will support NHS staff to conduct research to curate evidence for the services they deliver, as well as to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes in brain tumour care.
The package includes a transformative new funding call for the evaluation of novel therapies and optimisation of brain tumour treatments to generate high-quality evidence in brain tumour care, support and rehabilitation, as well as new Tessa Jowell allied health professional research fellowships to build evidence of the importance of rehabilitation for brain tumour patients.
The NIHR treatment funding calls are intended to launch in summer 2024 and are expected to be significant in scale to reflect the government’s initial commitment.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive officer, NIHR, commented: “This transformative brain tumour research funding… is a key… in our search for novel therapies and better treatments to save lives and improve the quality of life for patients with this condition.”
