Meningioma research
Almost a quarter of all primary brain tumours in adults are meningiomas. As many as 90% are low grade meningiomas (Grades 1 and 2) but there is a small subset that are more aggressive (Grade 3).
Meningiomas develop in the membrane that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. Current treatments depend on the size, location and nature of the tumour, but there are no targeted treatments, yet.
Current meningioma research projects
Here are the research projects we are currently funding that relate to understanding or treating meningioma.
Dr Gelareh Zadeh
Targeting clinically challenging meningiomas
Dr Zadeh and the team are investigating what make clinically aggressive meningiomas (CAMs) and radiation induced meningiomas (RIMs) different, and hard to treat.
Dr Gelareh Zadeh
Liquid biomarkers to change meningioma treatment
This project is advancing research into how aggressive meningiomas can be diagnosed and how their treatment responses can be predicted. In collaboration with a major UK-led clinical trial and using advanced artificial intelligence, the team are striving towards tomorrow’s clinical care.
Other current research projects
Here are the research projects we are currently funding that relate to understanding or treatment of brain tumours including meningiomas.
Dr Jan Schuemann
Extreme dose rate proton therapy
Previous studies have shown that delivering radiotherapy extremely rapidly can dramatically reduce side-effects. Radiation therapy that delivers the same dose of radiation in a much shorter period of time is called extreme dose radiation (EDR). EDR therapy has not been tested using proton beams, and that’s where this innovative research project comes in.
The research team, led by Dr Schuemann, will use pre-clinical models to test EDR proton therapy with the aim of establishing a treatment regimen that’s effective and well-tolerated by people. They’ll compare EDR to conventional radiation delivery and look for any differences in side-effects, specifically looking into the effects on cognition and motor control.