Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research shared on LinkedIn:
“Vital brain cancer research has been boosted through increased philanthropic funding with Bekki Spratford awarded a 2026 Tour de Cure Australia PhD support scholarship to advance their research into glioblastoma.
Following a career in nursing caring for the aged and disabled, Bekki has turned their focus to the challenges of glioblastoma through a PhD at the Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research at the University of Newcastle.
Bekki has been awarded funding to test a drug to see if it can make current treatments work more effectively, and also help protect healthy brain cells from damage.
Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal primary brain tumour, affecting approximately 63% of the 1500 newly diagnosed brain cancer cases annually in Australia.
‘Current treatments for globlastoma are often ineffective because existing therapies can’t fully target the tumour, and the nerve cells in the brain can stimulate cancer cells to keep growing. If this research is successful it could lead to a treatment that not only fights cancer more effectively, but also potentially protects healthy brain tissue and reduces the harmful side effects that impact a patient’s quality of life.’ – Bekki says
Importantly, Bekki notes:
‘The findings of this project could pave the way for clinical trials and bring us closer to a personalised therapy that improves both survival and preserve brain function.‘”
You can also read: Oncopeptides Reports Blood-Brain Barrier Penetration in Glioblastoma INSULA Study
