Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, will contribute to a £13.7 million research consortium aimed at developing new brain tumour treatments, following an announcement by the NIHR today.
The funding will establish the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The consortium is a national partnership uniting hospitals, universities, cancer centres and charities along with patients. This is a coordinated UK-wide effort to transform outcomes for people living with brain tumours and their families.
Professor Juanita Lopez, from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), will lead the Consortium. Professor Darren Hargrave of Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health is a co-lead. Dr Richard Mair from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is also a co-lead.
Finding new treatments for brain tumours
The researchers will develop and enhance innovative clinical trials. These will focus on new and emerging treatments through precision medicine – where treatments are tailored to an individual's tumour. In future, the consortium team hopes to expand into new areas such as radiotherapy techniques, and gene therapies, which modify a person's DNA to tackle cancer, and immunotherapies, which use the immune system against the cancer. This will create stronger evidence to support future NHS access if treatments prove safe and effective and improve health outcomes.
Today’s announcement from the NIHR will be followed by further funding into brain tumour treatment trials in early 2026, delivered through the consortium. The consortium will complement research funded and delivered by other funders beyond the NIHR, including the Medical Research Council and UK Research and Innovation.
Brain tumours are among the toughest cancers to treat. This world-leading consortium will help doctors and researchers understand the disease better, test new innovative treatments earlier, and make trials available to more adults and children closer to home.
The consortium will also support the development of the next generation of leaders in brain tumour research. This strengthens the UK as a key location for evaluating brain tumour treatments, both now and for the future.
Rapidly taking brain tumour discoveries into clinical trials
Professor Juanita Lopez, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Group Leader at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said:
"I am really excited for this transformational opportunity to build a contemporary, coordinated, national collaboration that will allow the best of science to be taken forward rapidly into clinical trials, and accelerate new drugs all the way to registration for patient benefit."
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, said:
"Brain tumours devastate lives, and for too long we haven't had the right tools to tackle them effectively.
"By bringing together our brilliant researchers, NHS teams, charities and patients, we're taking a major step forward in our mission to create an NHS Fit for the Future and ensure fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers. This consortium will help us better understand brain tumours, treat more effectively, and ultimately save lives.
"Everyone deserves the chance to live well for longer, and this research investment is part of our commitment to building a fairer, healthier country."
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, and NIHR CEO, said:
"Brain tumours are one of the most difficult cancers to treat with thousands of people diagnosed each year. This new funding aims to shift the dial in brain tumour research, accelerating the UK towards more life-changing treatments for adults and children with this deadly disease.
"This vital partnership brings together some of the UK’s best scientists, health and care professionals, charities and patients to improve lives through cutting-edge research. It demonstrates how NIHR is driving life-changing research for the health of our society, and ensuring more people can be part of research including those from underserved communities."
Improving brain tumour survival rates
There are 13,000 new brain, other central nervous system (CNS) and intracranial tumour cases in the UK every year. They are the eighth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 3 per cent of all new cancer cases.
The new consortium will address five challenges contributing to the current lack of new and effective therapies:
- Large amounts of variation. There are more than 100 brain cancer types and even patients with the same type can be affected differently.
- The limited number of new drugs available for testing.
- Insufficient research facilities, research leaders and research staff.
- Shortcomings in planning and execution of research studies.
- Lack of consistent and dedicated support for brain cancer research.
The partnership has the potential to shift the dial and position the UK as a leading location for brain tumour treatment research. Its activities will include:
- Enrolling patients to a ‘real world’ study tracking their progress in everyday medical settings. Then they will be matched to new clinical trials based on their cancer subtype.
- Developing pioneering new clinical trials. This includes platform trials. This will test interventions including targeted precision medicines, radiotherapy technologies, immunotherapies, and novel gene therapies.
- Developing new training programmes for those working in brain cancer research to build capacity. This will increase skills among the next generation of researchers.
- Partnering with patients to ensure the patient’s voice is heard.
This article was adapted from a piece on the NIHR website. Read the NIHR article in full here.