Having a detailed understanding of current research allows us to fund the very best research that will improve the research landscape and help accelerate a cure for brain tumours. As the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours, we have to make sure that our money funds the most cutting-edge research that will bring benefit to the brain tumour community.
Scientific conferences are a unique place for us to catch up with researchers that we fund, network with experts in the field and speak to people who may want to apply for our funding in the future.
EANO – The European Association of Neuro-Oncology
This year the EANO conference was in Glasgow. EANO itself is a European organisation that brings together medical and research experts in neuro-oncology. The organisation is focusses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and other tumours that develop in the central nervous system.
This year, EANO celebrated 30 years collaboration to improve the lives of people facing a brain tumour diagnosis, and we were honoured to be there.
Education
The conference was a five-day event that started with an Education Day. This was an opportunity to cover some of the ‘hot topics’ in the research field at the moment. These included:
- – Treatment of low-grade gliomas, new drug discoveries and drugs in the pipeline
- – Using blood and other bodily fluids to detect brain tumours using liquid biopsy
- – Supporting the needs of young people during their diagnosis
- – Translating lab research into real benefit for people affected by a brain tumour
- – Improving clinical trial design in neuro-oncology
This day was a way to bring researchers, consultants, nurses and charities together to learn and share ideas to improve care of people facing a brain tumour diagnosis.
It often feels like research progress in the brain tumour field is slow because they are a diverse and difficult group of diseases to treat. But progress is being made and we’ve seen breakthroughs recently with the approval of dabrafenib and trametinib for childhood brain tumours in the UK and the approval of vorasidenib in the USA.
But we know more needs to be done, and this is why these education days are of such value to medical and research communities.
The Conference
The remaining days of the conference saw research presentations, poster presentations and the opportunity to network.
At conferences, researchers typically have 15-20 minutes to present their work to the audience and then take any questions. This is an excellent way for the scientific community to give feedback on current research and also to spark collaboration between experts. Discussions often continue in coffee or lunch breaks!
The poster presentations are an opportunity for more junior researchers and PhD students to present their research in less daunting way. It involves summarising years of work on a poster and speaking about it to other experts. The poster sessions usually happen at coffee breaks and towards the end of the day after the other sessions have ended.
Key topics
The conference covered topics ranging from how brain tumours are classified, to the best ways to treat them and how to support people and their families when affected by a brain tumour. We also had our Healthcare Engagement Manager, Shona Floyd talk about The Charity’s work to support young people and the impact a brain tumour diagnosis has on fertility. Some of our funded researchers also presented their work, Professor Marcel Kool spoke about medulloblastoma and Dr Charlotte Eaton spoke about her meningioma research.
The one thing everyone at the conference had in common was the desire to improve brain tumour care.
Topics included:
- – The importance of public and patient involvement networks in research
- – How to boost the immune system when treating brain tumours
- – Understanding the different types of cells within brain tumours and how to treat them
- – Navigating fertility for those diagnosed with a brain tumour
- – Treating adult and childhood brain tumours
- – Targeted treatments for brain tumours
Although conferences are a place for experts to meet, at the centre of all the research are the people affected and how we can best help them live longer and better lives.
These events inspire and motivate everyone attending, and there is always something new to learn to take back home with you.
The next conference we are attending will be SNO – the Society for Neuro-oncology in Texas this week.