Brain Cancer Research

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Edinburgh as a cutting-edge brain tumour research hub

There are over 150 brain tumour types. They can be classified based on the type of cell they grow from, their location in the brain and how likely they are to spread. Brain tumours that grow more slowly are known as low grade (grade 1 and grade 2). Brain tumours that grow rapidly are known as high grade (grades 3 and 4). The most common type of primary brain cancer in adults is glioblastoma originating from glial cells. Brain cancer survival remains low, and has changed little in over a generation. With more than 11,000 new cases of brain tumours in the UK each year and 10-year survival rate of less than 15% there is a pressing need for development of better treatments. However progress in brain cancer research has been hindered by huge gaps in our knowledge, in particular of the biology underpinning the disease.

As a consequence, brain cancer has been recognised as a tumour type of unmet need by many major organisations including Cancer Research UK. Our researchaims to advance our knowledge of brain cancers and speed up development of more effective brain cancer therapies.