Innovative trials to bring hope for brain cancer patients in Yorkshire
£6.9 million is being put towards the EPIC-GB study, which will provide access to new, potentially life-extending treatments.
Ground-breaking clinical trials for glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer, are set to launch in Yorkshire through thanks to new funding from Yorkshire Cancer Research.
£6.9 million is being put towards the EPIC-GB study, which will provide people diagnosed with recurrent glioblastoma access to new, potentially life-extending treatments.
The trials, led by experts from the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow, focus on transforming cancer drug testing.
Glioblastoma is fast moving and often comes back within a year due to the blood-brain barrier—a protective layer which prevents drug delivery to tumours.
Patients involved in the trial will be able to access treatment in Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Nottingham.
Emma Ward from York, diagnosed with brain cancer last year, was previously forced to seek immunotherapy abroad,. Her cancer returned in early 2025.
Emma said: “With no further options for me in the UK, I couldn’t just sit and wait to die. All I could think about was the extra time this treatment could give with my husband and my daughters."
"My friends did everything they could, and I was completely blown away by the kindness and generosity people showed. But it shouldn’t have to be like this. Too many people lose their lives because there are so few options for treating brain cancers.
“It feels as though brain cancers have been placed in the ‘too hard’ box’, so investment in research is held back out of fear nothing will work and survival rates can never improve.
"Research around the world is showing there is hope for improvement, and Yorkshire Cancer Research is helping to bring hope right here to our region.”
Yorkshire Cancer Research is currently funding £75 million worth of cancer research and services, aiming to make Yorkshire a leading region for innovative trials.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:
“For far too long, people with glioblastoma have faced limited treatment options and there remains an urgent need for more research."
"EPIC-GB opens new opportunities for people with recurrent glioblastoma, including those underrepresented in research, to trial potentially life-extending treatments.
"These advancements have the potential to give people in our region more years of life, resulting in more time spent with loved ones."