Brain tumour research in the region is to be bolstered by a groundbreaking £13.7m research partnership involving Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Brain Tumour Research Consortium brings hospitals, universities, cancer centres, charities and patients together in a UK-wide partnership, aiming to transform care and outcomes for people living with brain tumours and their families.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is the sole site in South Yorkshire to be named in the consortium, which 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.
It 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.
Brain tumours, especially aggressive types like glioblastoma, are among the hardest cancers to treat due to location, the brain's natural defences (which makes it difficult for many drugs to enter the brain and act on the tumour), their ability to spread rapidly and the complexity of brain cancer.
Mr Ola Rominiyi, Speciality Registrar at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Early Career Researcher Co-Lead for the Adult Capacity Building Programme for the consortium, said:
“Investment to establish the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium provides a truly generational opportunity to deliver clinical trials for people diagnosed with a brain tumour in a more coordinated, collaborative way.
“It will support a co-ordinated emphasis on training opportunities for frontline staff to support current and future clinical trial delivery, and the geographical spread of opportunities to work towards a future where all patients can access potentially life-changing therapies through clinical trials and newly approved therapies.
“Although rare, collectively brain tumours are responsible for more years of life lost than any other cancer in the UK so this national collaboration will enable us to work together to accelerate the development of new drugs through clinical trials for patient benefit.”
Dr Nick Lyons, Chief Medical Officer at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We are delighted to once again be part of groundbreaking work to improve the care of patients through research and innovation which informs current and future care. Being part of the consortium is an opportunity to bring real opportunities to patients with brain tumours.”
Additional funding into brain tumour treatment trials, which will be delivered as part of the consortium, are expected to be announced early this year.