Brain tumours are among the deadliest forms of cancer, with glioblastoma, low-grade gliomas, and brain metastases claiming thousands of lives each year.
Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, survival rates remain low, and patients often face devastating neurological and cognitive impairments. Researchers are working to understand how brain tumours grow, communicate with healthy brain tissue, and resist current therapies—but there is still so much we don’t know.
With your support, we can fund these life-changing research projects, helping scientists develop innovative treatments, improve patient outcomes, and bring hope to those living with brain tumours.
Funded Research across 2025/2026
Funding: $250,000 Dr Adam Wells
Description: Recurrent adult glioblastoma is incurable with no life-prolonging systemic treatments available. To improve patient outcomes, CAR-T cell therapy is being tested with seven KARPOS trial patients recruited to date. CAR-T cells expand in patients’ blood, but anti-tumour effects are short-lived. Blood tests suggest CAR-T-induced injury of brain tumour cells leads to an accumulation of bone marrow-derived white cells called macrophages that counter CAR-T activity.
Research: This project will test how three commonly used compounds combat macrophages and enhance CAR-T function in future KARPOS trial patients.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Helen Palethorpe Glioblastoma Research
Description: High levels of heterogeneity make glioblastoma tumours highly lethal. Heterogeneity results from tumour cells' continuous adaptation (plasticity) to changes in their cellular and non-cellular tumour microenvironment. It remains unknown how this plasticity contributes to tumour evolution week-by-week as patients undergo therapy. For the first time, patient-derived explant organoids (GBOs) will be used to monitor tumour changes outside the body in response to therapy. If successful, this tool can guide adaptable and personalised interventions for glioblastoma patients.
Research:
Aim 1: Administer GD2-CAR-T cells by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection.
Aim 2: Concurrent oral administration of tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), imipramine, with IV BEV.
Aim 3: Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) supplementation.
Outcomes: Modify the KARPOS clinical trial protocol to include ICV CAR-T administration for six patients, counter macrophages with oral imipramine, and optionally enhance CAR-T function with BHB.
Funding: $50,000 A/Prof Hien Le Glioblastoma Research
Description: Advances in cancer therapy have extended life expectancy for stage 4 cancer patients, but brain metastases remain challenging. Traditional treatment involves surgery followed by a single dose of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS). Preoperative SRS offers lower radiation exposure and fewer complications.
Research: This trial will compare a single preoperative SRS dose versus three smaller doses before surgery, evaluating cancer control, side effects, and quality of life to optimise patient outcomes.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Manam Inushi De Silva & Prof Cedric Bardy, Low-Grade Gliomas
Description: Gliomas use long cellular protrusions to communicate with each other and the healthy brain microenvironment. This communication promotes tumour growth, migration, and evasion of therapy. The role of these microtubes in low-grade gliomas, which can progress to high-grade forms, remains unclear.
Research: The study will compare microtubes across glioma grades to understand their impact on tumour behavior and treatment resistance, aiming to develop targeted therapies that improve survival and quality of life.
Funding: $50,000 A/Prof Lisa Ebert, Glioblastoma Research
Description: Glioblastoma is the deadliest form of brain cancer with largely ineffective treatments. A new therapy using CAR-T cells (“living drugs”) aims to maximise tumour entry.
Research: Blood vessels in short-term cultured fragments of glioblastoma tissue will be studied to determine factors allowing CAR-T cell entry. Therapy will then be engineered to exploit these gateways, enhancing treatment success.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Briony Gliddon Supported by Munno Para Foodland
Description: Recurrent glioblastoma is resistant to current treatments and has a poor prognosis. This project will examine how glioblastoma evolves under therapy using patient-derived tumour cells obtained at diagnosis and recurrence.
Research: By comparing matched samples and integrating experimental models that mimic patient treatment, cellular and molecular changes driving recurrence will be mapped. The goal is to identify key therapy resistance mechanisms, informing strategies to prevent tumour relapse and improve outcomes.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Chloe Shard In Mem John ‘Griff’ Griffen
Description: Glioblastoma often resists chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Tumour-specific ecosystems formed by blood vessel cells and immune myeloid cells drive tumour progression and suppress immune responses.
Research: Using advanced lab models and next-generation cell engineering, the project will study how these non-cancerous cells influence tumour behaviour and develop engineered immune cells capable of attacking glioblastoma. The outcomes aim to create therapies that overcome resistance and improve survival.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Nirmal Robinson Glioblastoma
Description: Glioblastoma is highly aggressive with poor survival rates. ROBO2, located at the invasive edge of tumours, regulates cancer spread and metabolism, and is controlled by CD47, a protein that helps tumours evade immune responses.
Research: This project will test whether blocking ROBO2, alone or combined with anti-CD47 therapy or mitochondrial inhibitors, can suppress tumour growth and improve survival, aiming to identify new therapeutic strategies.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Nicole Wittwer In Mem Mark Weber
Description: CAR T-cell therapy uses engineered T-cells to destroy cancer cells, but brain tumours remain challenging to treat.
Research: This project will develop CAR T-cells that simultaneously target GD2 and FAP (on tumour cells and blood vessels), aiming to overcome treatment barriers, reduce toxicity, and improve outcomes for patients with brain malignancies.
Funding: $50,000 Dr Olivia Morris Hanon In Mem Phil Matalone
Description: Glioblastoma recurs almost invariably despite aggressive treatment, causing seizures and cognitive or visual impairments. Tumour cells at the invasive edge connect with neurons via GABA and gangliosides, enabling survival.
Research: This project will investigate glioma–neuron connections and evaluate strategies to disrupt them, providing a foundation for more effective therapies.
Funding: $42,000 Assoc Prof Pascal Duijf
Description: This project aims to map glioblastoma at unprecedented resolution using AI trained on protein-stained tumour samples to identify 20 distinct cell types.
Research: Mapping cancer and immune cell organisation within the tumour microenvironment will improve diagnosis, guide treatment, reveal therapy resistance, and support future large-scale studies.
Funding: $30,740 In Memory of Elise Ross
Lead Researcher: Prof. Stuart Pitson
Description: Glioblastoma is highly invasive and heterogeneous, with complex interactions between tumour cells and the immune system. Current mouse models fail to fully replicate these human characteristics, limiting the translation of research into effective therapies.
Research / Proposed Approach: Develop humanized mouse models that: produce human immune cells and harbor brain tumours derived from patient glioblastoma cells. These models will allow researchers to study immune interactions and test therapies more effectively.
Funding: $100,000 (James & Diana Ramsay Foundation)
Lead Researcher: Dr. Lisa Ebert
Description: CAR-T cell therapy is a promising form of immunotherapy in which a patient’s own T cells are genetically engineered to target and destroy cancer cells. This “living drug” approach offers a more precise alternative to chemotherapy and radiation, reducing harm to healthy tissue. This project focuses on adapting CAR-T therapies to treat aggressive brain cancers, including glioblastoma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Research / Proposed Approach:
Develop CAR-T therapies by:
Isolating T cells from patients
Engineering them to target brain cancer cells
Testing and optimizing the therapies in laboratory models
Conducting clinical trials, including the LEVI’S-CATCH trial at Sydney Children’s Hospital
RESEARCHER: Professor Stuart Pitson
FUNDING: $200,000 over 3 years (2024-2026) - Fay Fuller Foundation, UniSA & NRF
PROJECT: This project aims to develop a new method for delivering anti-cancer drugs to brain tumours, with a focus on glioblastoma (GBM). Researchers will test the effectiveness of three drugs across diverse GBM cell types, evaluate whether an immune-modulating drug can help these drugs cross the blood-brain barrier, and assess the effects of combinational therapy in pre-clinical models. Successful outcomes will be of direct relevance to treatment of other brain tumour types and have the potential for rapid translation to clinical trials.
RESEARCHERS: Dr Briony Gliddon, Professor Stuart Pitson & Dr Melanie Tea
FUNDING: $75,000 over 3 years (2023-2025) - Wilkins Family Foundation, Sandy & Michael Wilkins
PROJECT: This project will create a living paediatric brain cancer biobank using tumour samples to develop cell lines, organoids, and advanced preclinical models. Focusing on malignant paediatric brain tumours, the biobank will facilitate better understanding of tumour growth and treatment resistance, enabling the discovery and evaluation of new therapies.
RESEARCHER: Professor Stuart Pitson
FUNDING: $20,000 - Nick & Elise Ross, James & Diana Ramsay Foundation
PROJECT: This project will develop superior preclinical models of glioblastoma that closely reflect key features of the disease—tumour invasiveness, heterogeneity, immune microenvironment, and an intact blood-brain barrier. Using models that produce human immune cells and incorporate patient-derived tumours, will improve the clinical relevance of research and speed up the development of more effective treatments.
RESEARCHER: Dr Melanie Tea
FUNDING: $50,000
PROJECT: The survival rate for glioblastoma has barely improved due to limited treatment options. Despite aggressive treatment, and irrespective of initial response to standard therapy, most patients succumb to the disease due to recurrence of the primary tumour through mechanisms of resistance. This proposal aims to identify specific mechanisms by which these complex tumours develop resistance to existing therapies and to develop clinically relevant models to assess approaches to overcome these mechanisms.
RESEARCHER: Dr Briony Gliddon
FUNDING: $50,000
PROJECT SPONSOR: Munno Para Foodland
PROJECT: This project investigates SK2, an enzyme hyperactivated in glioblastoma and linked to poor outcomes. Using SK2 inhibitors—one already in Phase II trials for other cancers—researchers will evaluate their effectiveness in advanced preclinical models. If successful, this work could fast-track SK2-targeted therapies into phase II clinical trials for glioblastoma patients.
RESEARCHER: Kaitlin Scheer
FUNDING: $50,000
PROJECT: This project uses patient-derived glioblastoma organoids (GBOs) to study tumour variability and identify biomarkers linked to aggressive disease. We found that variable growth rates from patient-derived GBOs matched differences in patient survival, and identified PDLIM4 as a key marker in fast-growing tumours. This study will now explore PDLIM4 as a potential therapeutic target for treating highly aggressive glioblastoma.
RESEARCHER: Dr Nirmal Robinson
FUNDING: $49,927
PROJECT: Glioblastoma (GBM) cells escape from immune cells by producing a ‘don’t eat me’ signal known as CD47. We have made a major breakthrough by discovering that, if GBM cells lose CD47, they increase the import and metabolism of the amino acid cysteine as a survival mechanism. We propose to preclinically evaluate a new treatment strategy combining the targeting of both CD47 and cysteine metabolism using clinically ready drugs.
RESEARCHER: Associate Professor Pascal Duijf
FUNDING: $48,332
PROJECT: Among glioblastomas, 83% have abnormally acquired extra copies of many or all 1,165 genes located on chromosome 7. We have identified candidate drugs which we hypothesize eradicate glioblastoma cells with such genetic abnormalities. This project will create new 'isogenic' cell models to test our candidate drugs alongside patient-derived glioblastoma models and on patient-derived models.
RESEARCHER: Dr Iman Lohraseb
FUNDING: $50,000
PROJECT: Analysing over 80 million experimental data points from genome-wide CRISPR, RNAi and drug screens involving 6,658 drugs, we identified three strong candidate drugs that could benefit 88% of glioblastoma patients. We will create 'isogenic' glioblastoma cell lines without the genetic drug targets and test our drugs on these 'isogenic' cell models and on primary glioblastoma patient-derived cells.
RESEARCHER: Dr Sidra Khan
FUNDING: $50,000 – NRF Personnel Grant
In Memory of Chris Thornton
PROJECT: Supporting Adult and Pediatric Phase 1 Study of Autologous GD2-Specific CAR T Cell Therapy in Recurrent GD2-positive Glioblastoma Multiforme: Ongoing Assessment and Dose Escalation Trial.
RESEARCHERS: Dr Marguerite Harding
FUNDING: $50,000
PROJECT: This project will study hormone receptor expression in meningiomas to better understand risk factors, disease progression and outcomes, laying the foundation for new tools and models to identify new targets for adjuvant hormone-based therapies.
RESEARCHER: Bree Hodgson
FUNDING: $50,000 – NRF Personnel Grant
In Memory of Dustin “Dusty” Turner
PROJECT: A research assistant will strengthen the SA Neurological Tumour Bank (SANTB), enabling more tailored support for individual projects, ensuring uninterrupted specimen collection, and reducing delays in data access—critical improvements that will enhance research efficiency and impact.
RESEARCHERS: Prof Quentan Schwarz & Prof Stuart Pitson
FUNDING: $30,000 Adelaide Crows Foundation
In Memory of Jed McDonald
Research that is utilising advanced cell modelling to identify early biological changes that drive tumour development in children. As a gesture of thanks, members of the Adelaide Crows Foundation team - including Manager Louise McDonald—and players Reilly O’Brien and Charlie Edwards were invited to visit the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Cancer Biology to learn more about this cutting-edge research.
FUNDING: $375,000 across 3 years (commencing 2024/25) - Funding Partner SA Health $100,000 p.a. and NRF $20,000 p.a.
Welcoming Hayley Henley, South Australia’s first-ever Statewide Brain Cancer Nurse Consultant. In collaboration with our funding partner SA Health, we have committed $375,000 over 3 years to support this vital service (SA Health $300,000, NRF $75,000). In just six months, Hayley has already supported over 75 families, highlighting the urgent need for this role.
Dr Olivia Morris-Hannon International Training Workshops
FUNDING: Sovereign Hospitaller Order of Saint John, Knight of Malta - $20,000
Supported the work of the SA Neurological Tumour Bank and enabled Dr Morris Hanon to complete advanced training in cutting-edge brain tumour imaging techniques in the USA and Germany. This included training in correlative temporal multi-omic analysis of patient-derived brain tumour organoids, an area of expertise not currently available in Australia. This support has strengthened South Australia’s research capacity and brought us closer to more effective treatments for aggressive brain tumours. .
Prof Stuart Pitson - Cherry Auction - Brain Tumour + PCR machine equipment $100,000
Thank you to the SA Produce Market and its wonderful community for supporting groundbreaking brain tumour research. Donna Mercurio of Bache Bros was crowned the 2024 Cherry Queen with her record-breaking $85,000 bid for the season’s first box of delicious cherries. This bid was generously topped up with $15,000 by Scalzi Produce and contributions from the SA Produce Market, SA Chamber of Fruit and Veg, Ceravolo Orchards and other silent partners. These funds are supporting research to develop personalised therapies for recurrent brain tumours, and a PCR machine to study how genetic mutations drive tumour growth.
