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Spotlight on...
Pioneering new discoveries in the fight against cancer Brain tumours are the sixth most common cancer in adults, accounting for 2% of all tumours, and the most common form of solid cancer in children. Referred to as ‘Cinderella Cancer’, brain tumour research receives very little funding, which has undoubtedly hindered the development of new and effective treatments.
Researchers from the Brain Tumour UK Neuro-oncology Research Centre at the University of Wolverhampton, co-directed by Professor John Darling and Dr Tracy Warr, are leading the way in identifying the genetic changes that lead to brain tumour development and developing new treatments to deal with them. Unlike other cancers, brain tumours respond poorly to therapy as they are resistant to toxic therapies. Dr Weiguang Wang is working with Professor John Darling to determine if established drugs can be combined with the anti-cancer drugs used to treat brain tumours in order to develop better chemotherapies for brain tumours.
We want our research to translate into new medicines that will make a difference to people’s lives. Professor John Darling
“We’ve made excellent progress in some adult brain tumours already, but there is still much to be done for childhood tumours and rarer adult tumours” says Professor Darling. The development of the Neuro-oncology Research Centre has acted as a catalyst for the development of an ever widening research programme aimed at trying to understand the biology of these important and difficult to treat tumours. The Centre is confident that it is in an excellent position to see these laboratory findings translated into new, effective and safe therapies for patients in the coming years.
Professor John Darling is Dean of Research, Director of the Research Institute of Healthcare Science and Professor of Biomedical Science at the University. As a leading figure in the field of brain tumour research, his work is set to have a significant impact. The University is a founder member of Brain Tumour North West, a strategic alliance of brain tumour scientists and clinicians interested in treating brain tumours across north west England. This alliance will ensure that laboratory findings can be rapidly and effectively translated into patients’ care.