University College London - Centre to tackle brain cancer

The study of brain cancer, which struggles to win funding and top researchers, will be the subject of a specialist research centre. The unit, based at University College London's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, is funded by the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, the largest single funder of lab-based brain tumour research in the UK. Paul Carbury, the charity's chief executive, said: "Brain cancer is the victim of a funding trap. There's a cycle of funding that sees much of the investment going to large, established research centres that represent the high-profile cancers ... Brain cancer has never been able to break this cycle and attract sufficient funding or academic talent. It's undoubtedly why we are still seeing such ignorance around the disease and its shocking mortality rates."