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UCL receives landmark brain cancer research grant
15 April 2025
Professor Simona Parrinello, a leading expert in glioblastoma biology and Head of the Research Department of Cancer Biology at UCL, has been awarded a AUD $500,000 (£250,400) research grant by the Charlie Teo Foundation (CTF).
Affecting thousands of people each year, glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of primary malignant brain tumour.
Its cells are particularly resilient to current treatments – including surgery, chemotherapy or radiation – and the median survival is between 12 and 18 months, with just 10% of patients living for five years or longer.
However, the research led by Professor Parrinello seeks to provide improved understanding of how the tumour survives current therapies to develop more effective treatments. Now, her work is to benefit from the first research grant awarded by the Charlie Teo Foundation (CTF) to a UK-based institution.
Their grant of AUD $500,000 (£250,400) will enable the development of an advanced model of minimal residual disease (MRD) to advance our insights into how glioblastoma cells withstand treatment and regrow.
“We are delighted to be awarded this funding to develop new models of glioblastoma relapse,” said Professor Parrinello. “We hope that this work will identify molecules that can be targeted to stop the cancer from coming back. Relapse is a major problem in the clinic and one that has been extremely difficult to study in the laboratory due to a lack of appropriate models.”
“We are incredibly proud to award this Better Tools grant to Professor Parrinello at UCL. At the Charlie Teo Foundation, we believe breakthrough treatments begin with discovery-level research," Dr Peter Truong, Head of Research at Charlie Teo Foundation.
"This funding will support the development of advanced models to better understand glioblastoma relapse—one of the biggest challenges in treating this aggressive cancer. Gaining deeper insights into relapse will help identify new therapeutic targets, bringing us closer to more effective treatments for patients and their families."
An international leader in glioblastoma research, the UCL Cancer Institute has established a national programme of immunotherapy clinical trials alongside a translational initiative to further our understanding of its molecular mechanisms.