$250k Awarded to Five Critical Brain Tumour Research Projects
$250,000 awarded to 5 critical brain tumour research projects thanks to the incredible support during Grey May 2026, which raised $195k.
From August 2026, five research projects will receive funding totalling $250,000, directly supporting work to better understand and treat glioblastoma and other brain tumours.
This funding has been made possible by the incredible generosity of the Grey May community.
Every donation, fundraiser, volunteer hour, sponsorship, merchandise purchase and conversation helped turn Grey May into meaningful research investment.
The five research projects receiving funding
Sharad Kumar | Understanding how glioblastoma cells communicate and spread
Cancer cells communicate using tiny particles called extracellular vesicles. These particles can help tumours grow, spread and resist treatment. Sharad’s research will investigate how a protein called caspase-2 controls the release of these particles, and how changes to this process may contribute to glioblastoma growth and drug resistance. The goal is to identify a new way to disrupt cancer cell communication and improve treatment outcomes.
Chloe Shard | Finding new treatment targets in glioblastoma
Glioblastoma can behave differently in different parts of the same tumour, making it particularly difficult to treat. Chloe’s project will use a detailed multi-omics atlas of patient tumour samples to investigate the metabolic dependencies of tumour cells across different regions of the tumour. This research could help identify new targets for treatment and uncover ways to overcome therapeutic resistance.
Tessa Gargett | Engineering CAR-T therapy for brain tumours
CAR-T therapy is an innovative approach that uses a patient’s own immune cells to recognise and attack cancer. Tessa’s research will advance the development of CAR-T therapy for brain tumours, while enabling additional project aims to be completed and supporting the publication of important findings. This work will contribute to the development of new immunotherapy approaches for brain tumour patients.
Nirmal Robinson | Developing a new treatment strategy for glioblastoma
Nirmal’s team has identified a protein called ROBO2 that glioblastoma cells depend on to grow and spread. The research is focused on developing a new class of drugs designed to make cancer cells destroy their own ROBO2 protein, effectively switching off an important survival mechanism. Importantly, these potential treatments are being specifically selected for their ability to reach the brain, an essential challenge in treating brain tumours.
Jillian Carr | Using viruses to target brain tumours
Jillian’s research is investigating whether specially modified viruses could be used to target and destroy glioblastoma cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. Laboratory studies have shown that the virus can kill glioblastoma cells and stimulate the immune system. The team will identify tumour characteristics that make cancer cells susceptible to the virus before testing the approach in a pre-clinical mouse model. This research could lay the foundations for a new, targeted viral therapy for glioblastoma.
$250,000 invested in the future of brain tumour research
Together, these five projects represent $250,000 invested in critical brain tumour research, made possible by the $195,000 raised through Grey May 2026.
Behind every dollar raised is someone who chose to care. Someone who donated, shared a fundraiser, bought merchandise, volunteered their time, sponsored an event or simply started a conversation.
Together, the Grey May community is helping researchers ask new questions, explore new treatments and work towards a future where people affected by brain tumours have more options, better treatments and better outcomes.
