The launch of our Scottish Centre

5 min read

 

This week's Campaigning Update is an extended note to say thank you.

Thank you for supporting us and being a Brain Tumour Research Campaigner.

Thank you for raising awareness of our cause because your awareness-raising has enabled us to grow and raise more money year-on-year-on-year.

That money raised has meant that this week we have been able to open a new Research Centre (our fifth), focused on finding a cure for brain tumours.

Along with charity workers, researchers and politicians, the campaigning team has been in Edinburgh to launch the new Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, which is the result of a unique collaboration between two leading cancer charities.

The Centre will see researchers based at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow, working together, with the aim of identifying the most promising new treatments for glioblastoma, while getting patients into clinical trials.

Brain Tumour Research and Beatson Cancer Charity are investing £2.4 million in the Centre over the next five years. More than half that sum has been raised and a public appeal is ongoing.

The complexity, diversity and rapid growth of glioblastoma tumours make it difficult to develop treatments, which haven’t changed for 20 years. Researchers in Edinburgh and Glasgow are looking to identify new treatments and progress them into clinical trials for patients.

Among those attending the official opening were Antiques Roadshow expert, Theo Burrell, who became Patron of Brain Tumour Research following her diagnosis with glioblastoma in June 2022.

Theo, 38, from East Lothian, has just started the second round of a 12-month temozolomide chemotherapy programme following a regrowth of her tumour. She said: “My current situation is scary and I’m daunted by what lies ahead, but this new Centre is giving myself and other people affected by brain tumours some tangible hope.

"Through my diagnosis and my role as Patron of Brain Tumour Research I speak to brain tumour patients every day; two people close to me have recently died from the disease and it’s heartbreaking. I am hopeful that game-changing research here will lead to clinical trials for glioblastoma patients in Scotland like me.”

Scientists at the Scottish Research Centre are seeking and developing new drugs that can target and kill the cancer-causing cells which drive the growth of glioblastoma, in order to create more effective treatments. They are particularly looking for new drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier, a natural protective membrane that prevents harmful substances from entering the brain, including many medicines. Furthermore, to strengthen the reliability of drug-testing results and increase the likelihood of a new treatment succeeding in human trials – an area where most new discoveries fail – the Centre will also be working to refine its world-class drug-testing platform to better replicate real-world glioblastoma tumours.

More than 1,000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year. Of those, 433 people are diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour.

Home to the largest group of multidisciplinary glioblastoma researchers in the UK, the Centre will bridge the gap between promising new discoveries and patient benefit, from laboratory to bedside.


Left to right: Gillian Hailstones, Theo Burrell, Prof Steven Pollard (Edinburgh), Professor Anthony Chalmers (Glasgow) and Dan Knowles


Dan Knowles, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: “Today is hugely significant for the brain tumour community in Scotland who, thanks to their generous support, have helped make the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence a reality. Glioblastoma patients desperately need new, improved treatments, so I welcome the prospect of more clinical trials being created for patients which will lead to better and kinder treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

“The Scottish Centre is bridging the gap between the discovery of potential new treatments for glioblastoma and getting these treatments to patients. Their multidisciplinary approach for drug discovery and testing will provide the preclinical data needed to attract the investment that funds clinical trials. It will increase the number of trials available for glioblastoma patients in Scotland and beyond.

“The Centre represents a significant investment in Scotland and complements our other Centres of Excellence at the University of Plymouth, Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, and the Institute of Cancer Research.” 

Gillian Hailstones, CEO of Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “Today is a truly exciting milestone for brain tumour research in Scotland, and one that holds immense potential to advance understanding and develop new treatment options for glioblastoma. Beatson Cancer Charity is proud to be working in partnership with Brain Tumour Research and the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, to make this ambition a reality. This new Centre brings together exceptional expertise from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and we are confident it will lead to significant progress in tackling the complexities of brain tumours and developing innovative treatments in the years ahead.

“We hear first-hand from the patients and families we support, how devastating this disease can be and the significant and lasting impact that it has on families. The generosity of our supporters and donors demonstrates the level of commitment there is across Scotland to change the future for those affected by brain tumours. Thanks to their generosity today’s centre opening marks the start of that change.” 

At Tuesday's launch, we were joined by Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP, Beatrice Wishart, whose motivation to support our cause is her daughter who has a brain tumour. Beatrice is the Convener of the recently formed Cross Party Group (CPG) on Brain Tumours at Holyrood. We took the opportunity to ask her what she hoped to achieve with the CPG and she told us:

"Well, I was quite clear when we were discussing setting it up that it was not just to be a talking shop and we were to see action.

"There are so many people who are campaigning for progress and there is so much research going on that we wanted to see action in some of the treatments that people can get as we know there are so many types of brain tumours and we need to move it along and we also need to improve the number of people that can survive from brain tumours."

When we asked her what part the Scottish research might play in taking things forward, Beatrice said: "I think that it will be a huge part it’s a big focus and it means that there is something here north of the border and I think it is really important, all of the work being done here."

Finally, we asked (rather tongue-in-cheek), if there is any point in campaigning in Scotland and campaigners talking to their MSPs.

Beatrice replied:  "Absolutely, because you never know. MSPs take very seriously what their constituents tell them. I know from my own personal experience, once I started speaking about brain tumours, other people in my constituency told me their experiences and how they would like to see change and I know that affects the other MSPs that are on the CPG. It’s from hearing our own constituents that we make representations and we try to make positive actions to make sure that there will be change. It is a cross-party group and everybody is signed up for it, all for good reasons and we are in it together. And we want to make a difference and together I do believe that we will make a difference."

The next meeting of the CPG (for whom we provide the Secretariat) will be at Holyrood on 20th February. Please keep reading the Friday updates for more news on this and, of course, all the news on the APPG on Brain Tumours and its work at Westminster. 

It was important that as many people as possible were aware of events in Scotland this week and our PR team worked with supporters, fundraisers and those impacted by brain tumours to share their stories with a wider audience – the more people who know about us the more people will support us.

BBC Radio 5 Live Drivetime reported on the centre launch, as did Good Morning Scotland, Lunchtime Live on BBC Radio Scotland plus The Mirror, Daily Record, Edinburgh Live.

Don and Rachel McKie (pictured above) spoke about their son in the Glasgow Times, and Yahoo! News UK, as well as STV News at Six. The couple from Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, along with family, have raised £50,000 in memory of their son Graham, who died when he was just 32 in August 2006. 

Rachel said: “This new Centre will be life-changing for so many families. It’s a chance for Scotland to lead the way in tackling glioblastoma and supporting those affected by it. Knowing it’s dedicated to researching the type of tumour Graham had, makes it all the more meaningful. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people in Scotland to make a difference. As a country, we’re so caring and compassionate, especially when it comes to supporting those affected by cancer. For us, fundraising and raising awareness have been a huge part of our healing process; it symbolises Graham's legacy and the promise we made to do something meaningful in his memory. His story inspires not only us but also our children and grandchildren to keep raising awareness and supporting this vital cause.”  

Special thanks must also go to our supporters Claire, Jenny and Suzanne who supported us by sharing their stories on the day to  raise awareness.

A momentous week, a day with deep-seated optimism, another milestone reached.

Thank you again for all that you have done to make this happen.

Together we will find a cure.

There will be another update next week.

Wishing you all a peaceful time until then.

Karen, Hugh, Thomas and Evan

Published Friday 31st January 2025.

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