Understanding how and why cancer spreads to the brain

Predicting and preventing brain metastases: a new hope for cancer patients.

Did you know that up to 40% of people with cancers like lung, breast, skin (melanoma), or bowel cancer develop secondary tumours in their brain? These are called brain metastases.

As we get better at treating the original tumours and use brain scans more often, we’re finding that these secondary tumours are becoming more common.

Why funding is needed

£100,000 will cover the cost of collecting blood and tissue samples and analysing them using advanced methods like Oxford Nanopore sequencing, metabolomics, and proteomics.

Your support can make a real difference in our research. By funding this project, you’ll help us carry out important studies to confirm our findings and make sure our biomarkers are reliable.

Any donation big or small will not only help expand scientific understanding, but also support the development of better tools for detecting brain cancer, improving the quality of life for patients at risk.

How we are investigating brain metastases

We’re starting an exciting research project to understand how and why cancer spreads to the brain. Specifically, we’re looking at how the body’s immune system might unintentionally help cancer cells move from the original tumour to the brain after treatment.

Using a simple blood test called a liquid biopsy, we plan to look for tumour cells or other markers that could warn us early if brain metastases are developing. Our goal is to create a reliable test that can help doctors spot and treat brain metastases much earlier, potentially improving outcomes for patients.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please email us at GJBRC@manchester.ac.uk.