Transforming brain cancer research: a journey from personal loss to global impact

Professor Petra Hamerlik is leading a global search for the origins of brain cancer, driven by a personal mission to transform outcomes for patients and their families. Her translational neuro-oncology programme focuses on early detection, preclinical drug testing, and tackling the challenges of brain metastases. Petra talks about how she aims to uncover new pathways for treatment and bring hope to those affected by this devastating disease through cutting-edge research and international collaboration.

Personal motivation and career path

Losing my father to brain cancer at a young age shaped the entire trajectory of my career. This personal loss instilled a deep commitment to advancing brain cancer research and ensuring that future patients and families don’t face the same lack of options.

After completing my PhD in the Czech Republic, I had the opportunity to move to Denmark to establish a brain cancer research programme. What started as a three-month stint turned into 13 years of building an independent research group, collaborating with clinicians and creating a platform for preclinical research. During this time, I helped launch a personalised medicine programme and secured grants to establish a Centre of Excellence.

Eventually, I sought a new challenge and joined AstraZeneca in the UK to lead drug discovery pipelines for brain cancer. This experience was transformative, giving me the skills to manage large projects and collaborate across sectors.

However, my passion for academic freedom and translational research ultimately brought me back to academia. Now at The University of Manchester, I’m building a new translational neuro-oncology programme. It’s a journey driven by purpose, shaped by personal loss, and grounded in the belief that research can make a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families.

The challenges in brain cancer research

Brain cancer is one of the deadliest and most underfunded cancer types. Glioblastoma, for example, is a rare but devastating disease, with 95% of patients dying within five years diagnosis.

Brain tumours are also the biggest killer of children and young adults, and unlike other cancers, they often leave survivors with severe cognitive impairments and a poor quality of life. This is due to delays in diagnosing the cancer, with late diagnosis leading to poorer outcomes.

On average, it takes brain tumour patients 8 to 18 months to get a diagnosis. Many are initially dismissed by their doctors, being told their symptoms are psychiatric or unrelated. By the time a brain tumour is confirmed, the cancer is often advanced, making treatment much harder.

Current therapies also face a unique challenge: while systemic treatments for cancers like breast and lung cancer have improved survival rates, many of these cancers metastasise to the brain. Once in the brain, cancer cells are protected by the blood-brain barrier, making them resistant to standard treatments.

Another pressing issue is funding. While awareness of brain cancer is growing, thanks to high-profile cases like that of the MP Tessa Jowell, the resources allocated to brain cancer research remain insufficient.

Pharmaceutical companies tend to focus on more common cancers with larger patient populations, leaving brain cancer labelled as a rare disease and deprioritised. Additionally, the academic research environment is highly unstable, particularly for women balancing family and career. I’ve seen firsthand how the lack of stable positions drives talented researchers, especially women, out of the field.

Without sustainable funding and career pathways, we risk losing the next generation of scientists who are essential to advancing this work.

Making progress: my vision for the future

Despite these challenges, I’m determined to make a meaningful impact in brain cancer research. My team is focused on three key areas: early detection, preclinical drug testing and addressing brain metastases.

Our early detection work is especially exciting. We’re leading a national, multi-centre study to identify biomarkers in liquid biopsies - non-invasive tests that could help diagnose brain tumours earlier. This study also includes neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as these conditions often share overlapping symptoms with brain tumours.

My long-term goal is to develop a point-of-care device that GPs can use to quickly identify potential brain tumour cases, reducing the time to diagnosis and improving patient outcomes.

We’ve also established a preclinical drug testing platform using patient-derived models, where tumour tissue is transplanted into mice to create ‘avatars’ of each patient’s cancer. These models allow us to test new drugs and collaborate with pharmaceutical companies to explore innovative treatments.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this work has been partnering with clinical teams at The Christie and Salford Royal, where we translate our findings from the lab into clinical trials, offering patients access to cutting-edge therapies.

Finally, our research into brain metastases addresses a growing problem in cancer care. As systemic therapies improve for primary cancers like lung and breast cancer, more patients are surviving long enough to develop metastases in the brain. These metastatic tumours are particularly challenging because cancer cells ‘hide’ in the brain, protected from standard treatments by the blood-brain barrier.

My team, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, is studying the biology of these tumours to develop therapies that can prevent or treat brain metastases effectively.

I’ve carried lessons I have learnt through industry into academia, fostering international collaborations with teams in Scandinavia, Germany, and the United States. These partnerships are essential for driving innovation and accessing diverse funding opportunities.

Looking ahead

My short-term goal is to build a sustainable research team with stable funding sources, which is no small task in today’s academic landscape.

Long term, I’m focused on translating our lab discoveries into clinical applications that directly benefit patients. I want to create early detection tests that can save lives and ensure that the therapies we develop reach the clinic.

The fight against brain cancer is deeply personal for me, but it’s also a collective effort. Every step we take, whether it’s advancing early detection, testing new drugs, or improving care for patients with brain metastases, brings us closer to transforming outcomes for patients and their families.