A research group investigating tumours of the brain and nervous system, has received a grant of £146,000 from the Dr Hadwen Trust.
The group, headed by Professor Oliver Hanemann, investigates the role of certain proteins in the mechanisms that cause the growth and proliferation of brain and nervous system tumours. By understanding how the mechanisms work, the group can develop therapies based on existing drugs which could halt the spread of such tumours – contributing greatly to the quality of life and survival rates of tumour sufferers and providing a viable, drug-based alternative to current treatments which are limited to chemotherapy and/or multiple operations.
The grant has been awarded to pursue further research to identify drugs using modern post-genomic technology to tackle spread mechanisms in specific cells called schwannomas and meningiomas. The grant is for three years and will support a Research Fellow post.
The Dr Hadwen Trust is the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity. It funds and promotes the development of techniques and procedures to replace the use of animals in biomedical research and testing.
The Trust supports and assists scientists to implement existing techniques and develop new ones which are more human-relevant and replace animal experiments. It awards grants to scientists in universities, hospitals and research organisations following a rigorous peer-reviewed selection procedure. Only those projects with the highest scientific calibre and the best potential for the replacement of animals are awarded funding.
Professor Oliver Hanemann, Chair in Clinical Neurobiology, Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, and one of the world’s leading clinical academics in neuroscience especially in neuromuscular disease and neuro-oncology, commented:
“We use non-animal techniques in our work and we are delighted to receive the grant from the Dr Hadwen Trust, which will allow us to add to our team and continue use such innovative techniques to identify important drug-based solutions for patients with tumours of the brain and nervous system.”