Glioblastoma patient and Brain Tumour Research Patron, Theo Burrell, has urged Wes Streeting MP to invest in bridging the gap between promising laboratory data and clinical trials in brain tumour patients.
Her plea comes after the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care joined a tour of the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence on Thursday 5th March – the day the Rare Cancers Bill became law.
Along with Scott Arthur, MP for Edinburgh Southwest, Wes Streeting toured facilities dedicated to testing innovative new approaches – including gene therapy – to tackling glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer with an average prognosis of just 12 to 18 months.
Led by Professor Steven Pollard at the University of Edinburgh and Professor Anthony Chalmers at the University of Glasgow, the Centre is focused on bridging the “translational gap”, ensuring discoveries in the lab rapidly move into clinical trials.
Despite being the most common form of brain cancer in adults in the UK, treatments have not changed in decades and there remains a severe lack of funding into research.
Theo, Mr Streeting and Dr Karen Noble
After suffering from strong migraines leaving her unable to bend over or lie down, Theo was eventually diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2022.
The Antiques Roadshow star who has since had further surgery to tackle a recurrence of the tumour, said: “I am running out of treatment options, and I know that my cancer will kill me, just like it’s killed so many of my friends in the last year. This Government, on both sides of the border, desperately needs to increase research investment and expand access to clinical trials to stop over 5,000 people dying a year from this devastating disease. We can’t rely on charities and patients to do the heavy lifting.”
Responding to Theo’s story, Mr Streeting said: “We are losing far too many people, and far too much precious time to brain cancer, and we have a responsibility to do something about it.
“We owe it to you and other people who are going through this to make sure that we give brain cancer the focus it deserves. Thank you for everything you're doing using your own profile and experience to make sure that this issue stays in the spotlight where it really belongs.”
Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet clinical trial recruitment for brain tumours is the lowest out of any cancer. Our Scottish Research Centre of Excellence is focused on accelerating the jump from promising lab data to trials in patients, but this area desperately needs targeted investment by government and incentives to bring in commercial players.”
Banner image left to right: Dr Faye Robertson, Professor Anthony Chalmers, Theo Burrell, Wes Streeting, Dr Scott Arthur MP, Dr Karen Noble, Gillian Hailstones (CEO of Beatson Cancer Charity) and Professor Steve Pollard
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