Major new drugs trial seeks to repurpose existing drugs to help with brain tumours
It comes as researchers at both the universities of Plymouth and Exeter welcome a Parliamentary debate on the support available after brain injuries
MPs are today debating whether more support is needed for those with brain injuries - something welcomed by researchers at both the universities of Plymouth and Exeter.
It comes as an almost £3-million research project's started near to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital looking at whether existing drugs can be repurposed to help.
Glenn Lilley, 73, from near Plymouth, is just recovering from a brain tumour after she was mis-diagnosed following problems with her hearing - and says investment is needed.
She said: "It's the most horrendous thing for a young child to have. Anyone with a child would you like the thought of a neuro-surgeon getting a drill out and drilling a 'sun roof' into your child's head?
"That's what the operation is, you have to have a hole and part of your skull removed so they can remove the tumour and they sit the piece back and clip it back into your head."
David Parkinson is the director of the research, who said: "One of things that we're doing here is looking at drugs which are already being used to treat other kinds of tumours or other conditions and really trying to re-purpose them and see if they work in brain tumours - with some success,
“We've been using some retroviral drugs which have been used to treat patients with HIV.
"We are at the forefront of research, the research that we're doing is key to driving forward our understanding of brain tumours. We collaborate with a lot of groups around the world.
"We've had one of the drugs that we've been trying out with a company on the West Coast of the US that's now gone into a phase one trial including with brain tumour patients."
The new investment builds on a partnership between Brain Tumour Research and the University of Plymouth which first began in 2014. A spokesperson for the University of Plymouth added: "There are currently limited treatment options for these types of tumours beyond surgery and radiotherapy, both of which come with many side effects. The five-year funding support will enable scientists to deepen their understanding of how these tumours develop and translate that knowledge into life-changing therapies. After the first three years, the centre will undergo an expert review designed to track progress and strengthen its impact."
There's more about the research here
It comes as researchers working to highlight the hidden costs of acquired brain injuries – both to individuals and the economy – have welcomed news that the issue is being debated in the Houses of Parliament.
The debate in Westminster Hall at 1.30pm looks into the potential merits of the Government developing 'a comprehensive acquired brain injury action plan'.
It comes after a report in May found that investing in specialist rehabilitation services could save the NHS and social services nearly £20 billion per year in acute care, longer term and social care costs – while the total hidden toll of brain injury could cost the economy £43 billion a year.
The Right to Rehab report, commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Acquired Brain Injury and charity UKABIF (the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum), considered the economic impact of acquired brain injuries (ABI) including traumatic brain injuries, stroke and brain tumours.
Among those to contribute to it were Dr Alyson Norman, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Plymouth, and Dr Hope Kent, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter.
She said: “This is clearly a serious issue but for too long it hasn’t been treated that way.
"There is still a belief in many quarters that brain injury is a niche problem despite the costs to the UK economy highlighted in the report this year, and it being the leading cause of death and disability in people under 40.
"Work on a national acquired brain injury strategy was started in 2022 but it has faced numerous problems, not least a change of government. We are encouraging all MPs to attend the debate as a demonstration that this needs to be pushed more forcefully. My hope is that this debate will help the government to understand more clearly what the strategy needs to address, and lead to a stronger commitment from the Government to move forward with the action plan as a matter of urgency.”