Professor Martin Taphoorn

Professor Martin Taphoorn has combined clinical work in The Hague with a professorship in neuro-oncology at the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam since 2007.

He is an active member of both the EORTC Brain Tumour Group and Quality of Life Group.

His research concentrates on quality of life and palliative care for brain tumour patients.

Professor Chris Twelves

Professor Chris Twelves is Professor of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Oncology, & Head, Clinical Cancer Research Groups, Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine and St James’s Institute of Oncology

He Chaired the New Drug Development Group of the EORTC and has sat on the Feasibility Studies Committee and New Agents Committee of Cancer Research UK.

Professor Twelves is a medical oncologist with a particular interest in new drug development and clinical pharmacology; his clinical practice has been in colorectal and breast cancer.

Find out more about Professor Twelves on the University of Leeds and Institute of Cancer Therapeutics websites.

Professor Martin van den Bent

Professor Martin van den Bent works as a Consultant Neurologist and Professor of Neuro-oncology at the Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center and Erasmus University Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

He is past chair of the EORTC Brain Tumour Group and has been a member of the SDBTT Scientific and Medical Advisory Board for several years.

His research interests include brain tumour clinical trials, prognostic markers in neurooncology and the genetic changes that occur in brain tumours.

Applications, assessment and awards will be managed and run through our AMRC-approved grant round process.

Applications are invited for £40,000 – £215,000 for fundamental science, translational, population-study, health services and psycho-social / quality of life research across all types of primary brain tumour.

In this grant round, we are asking the research institutes to seek additional contributions to projects as matched funding, so that together we can increase the total levels of funding for brain tumour research in the UK.

The deadline for submission of outline applications is mid-night on Wednesday 7 March 2012. Click here for more information.

PS We’re currently recruiting new lay members  to our grant panel – if you think you might like to get involved in this way and would like to receive more information please email research@sdbtt.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you!

Read the full press release which summarises the study from WCRF.

Commenting on the press release, SDBTT CEO Sarah Lindsell said:

“With so little known about the causes of brain tumours, we welcome all research into this area.  We were very interested to learn of the study suggesting an association between higher blood pressure and certain types of brain tumours, although we note that there are some limitations to the study.

“As they state, further research is required to confirm and understand any link and how this finding could be applied to prevention or treatment of brain tumours.  We, as a charity, are determined to continue to raise more funds to find a cure, better treatments and more understanding of the causes of brain tumours that devastate so many lives.

“We would also want to highlight that the risk of brain tumours for all groups in this study was low.  We would not want the public to be unduly alarmed by this as the vast majority of people with high blood pressure will not develop a brain tumour.”

Studying the causes of brain tumours in children: SDBTT-funded research presented at NCRI 2011

Brain tumours were high on agenda at this year’s National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference in Liverpool, which included an entire session of talks on ‘New insights into the biology and management of brain tumours’.

Showcased research included SDBTT-funded work by Professor Paolo Salomoni on the role of ‘autophagy’, a process used by cells to recycle damaged cell components and produce energy.
See the NCRI scientific summary here
Read more about this project here

SDBTT-funded research undertaken by Professor Steve Clifford’s team at Newcastle University showed how medulloblastoma brain tumours in children may be divided into low, medium and high risk groups according to their specific molecular make-up, paving the way for clinical trials for new treatment schedules to reduce debilitating side effects whilst maximising survival.
See the NCRI scientific summary here
Read more about the research project here and the development of systems to test tumour samples during the clinical trials here

Finally, Professors Patricia McKinney and Jill Birch’s findings from their SDBTT-funded project piloting the techniques needed to perform a large scale study looking into the causes of brain tumours in children and teenagers were presented in a scientific poster.
See the poster here
Read more about this project here

The article highlights the integration of groups such as SDBTT with institutes like UCL. At SDBTT much of the money raised from our supporters is channelled into research projects such as the ones at UCL. This will hopefully go some way in enhancing the profile of much needed brain tumour research.

To read the article in full, please follow the link below and go to page 10.

UCL Cancer Institute Newsletter Autumn

A multi-centre phase II clinical trial for a pioneering new surgical technique has started in the UK, jointly funded by Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and Cancer Research UK.

The trial, called GALA-5, will involve over 60 patients who have been newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common and most harmful primary malignant brain tumour in adults, with an average survival rate of just 15 months from diagnosis.

The trial will examine the tolerability and feasibility of two treatments used in combination. The first one is called 5-ALA (5-Amino-Levulinic Acid), which is converted in the body to a fluorescent chemical, making the tumour glow under ultraviolet light during surgery. This pioneering technique means that surgeons should be able to see the edges of the tumour more clearly, allowing more accurate and complete tumour removal.

The second therapy is given after the tumour is removed, and involves inserting wafers impregnated with the chemotherapy drug carmustine into the cavity. Carmustine is then released locally to help kill remaining tumour cells.

The GALA-5 trial is being made possible through an innovative new partnership between Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust (SDBTT), the UK’s largest brain tumour charity, and Cancer Research UK, the UK’s largest cancer charity. Last year, for the first time, the two charities collaborated to jointly fund research into brain tumours.

The trial is being led by Dr Colin Watts (HEFCE Clinical Senior Lecturer) at the University of Cambridge, where the first 4 patients have been recruited. It will be rolled out to more than 10 other centres, including King’s College Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery (both have recently opened to recruitment), and is being co-ordinated by the Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre (Cancer Institute, University College London). If the combination of the two therapies is found to be safe and effective, it will be followed by a larger phase III trial.

Dr Colin Watts said: “I strongly feel that our best opportunity to progress further is to emphasise funding of lab-based research and innovative trials and the GALA-5 trial is a significant step forward in making this a reality. I am delighted to see this partnership between Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust and Cancer Research UK, which really make a difference and allow more trials and clinicians to be supported.”

Neil Dickson, Founder and Chair of Trustees of SDBTT said: “We are proud to be funding this trial, which we hope will make a real difference to the lives of people diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Brain tumour research receives a fraction of the funding of that of higher profile cancers and it is our priority to redress the balance. This is essential as figures show that advances in treatment, achieved through the dedicated work of committed researchers over the years, have had a beneficial effect. Whilst we have invested heavily in laboratory based research, and continue to do so, for us as a charity this is a significant step towards funding more clinical trials.”

Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, said: “Treating brain tumours is a real challenge facing clinicians and we urgently need new treatments to help more people diagnosed with the disease. By working together we are able to fund more research and really focus on areas that are going to make a telling difference. We are already building on the success of the partnership and are looking to fund more research in the coming year.”

The process used by the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham to produce the ‘Diagnosis of Brain Tumours in Children’ guidline has been formally approved under the NHS Evidence Accreditation Scheme.  Work to produce the guideline was funded by SDBTT and it forms the basis of all HeadSmart materials and our HeadSmart: be brain tumour aware campaign.

‘The Diagnosis of Brain Tumours in Children’ guideline produced under the accredited process will now be able to carry the NHS Evidence Accreditation Mark, assuring staff that they are accessing some of the best information available online to make informed decisions about patient care.

NHSE033 Childrens Brain Tumour Research Centre FINAL_SB _4_.

The Cancer Institute is a state-of-the-art facility, incorporating some of the most advanced research technologies and equipment, and is home to the Samantha Dickson Brain Cancer Unit. See pages 6  and 7.

The debate, entitled ‘Brain Tumour & Beyond’, was produced by young people - all of whom have been affected by cancer – and was hosted by Peter Wilkinson, who himself has had a brain tumour.  The panel comprised patients, carers and parents affected by brain tumours, as well as professionals from the field, including brain tumour expert Professor David Walker from the University of Nottingham, and our very own Head of Research, Julia Trusler!

A studio audience posed questions to the panel while members of the public could join in online. A wide range of issues affecting young people with brain tumours was discussed, making for thought-provoking viewing.

Watch the debate now at http://jimmyteens.tv/2011/04/the-debate-brain-tumour-beyond/

Prof. David Walker (right) discussing brain tumours with James Arbuthnott MP (centre) and Founder Trustees Neil and Angela Dickson

The debate will be filmed and broadcast on the internet live from a studio, where a host and audience will have an opportunity to pose questions to the panellists: brain tumour expert Professor David Walker from the University of Nottingham, and our very own Head of Research, Julia Trusler.

Members of the public will be able to join in the debate online at http://jimmyteens.tv/ - where you can also watch the debate afterwards.