Since July 2022, Brain Tumour Research has partnered with sister Charity, brainstrust, to fund its Patient Research Involvement MovEment. This month, brainstrust, published an Impact Report detailing how the initiative is working to improve outcomes and opportunities for brain tumour patients.
At its heart, PRIME connects patients and caregivers with researchers to provide the patient perspective needed to set up effective clinical trials. Not only does this initiative ensure that patient needs are woven into the trials making treatments more comfortable and supportive, but it makes the trial more attractive to external funders. In this Impact Report, it was revealed that PRIME has played a pivotal role in securing more than £28 million in funding for brain tumour trials.
In 2023 alone, PRIME supported more than 30 unique research projects, ranging from multinational drug trials to quality-of-life interventions.
One project which has been supported by PRIME is the PORTRAIT study led by Dr Gerben Borst. The study, which has been set up at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, aims to explore how using Optune (Tumour Treating Fields) prior to, and following surgery, might improve surgical outcomes. The initiative connected Dr Borst with patients who helped to influence and improve the trial design, and this input helped to support his funding application and strengthen his study proposal.
Adam Thomson, Patient Involvement Officer at brainstrust, said: “PRIME is now entering its fourth year, and as it matures so does its goals; We aim to continue and improve on our work to establish Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) as an essential and powerful tool in designing the best research projects possible and therefore giving the clinical community the best chance to make the changes we need for the brain cancer community.”
To read the full Impact Report, click here.
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