Generous post-mortem donations spark international collaboration

We have a very unique asset in the Mark Hughes Foundation Biobank – a post-mortem collection from patient-donors. Funded through the generosity of the Mark Hughes Foundation this one-of-a-kind asset could help transform brain cancer research.

The Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research is thrilled to announce that we have now commenced an international collaboration with the Gregory lab at the Duke University Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Centre, led by Professor Simon Gregory.

Thanks to a connection made at the International Brain Tumour Research Summit held by the MHF Centre in February, graduate student Lauren Whaley from the Gregory Lab, will use state of the art genomics technology to analyse tissue sections from the MHF Brain Donor Biobank to gain greater insight into the cell of origin of glioblastoma tumours and how they develop, spread and recur.

The Gregory Lab team from Duke will be working closely with a team from the MHF, including MHF Biobank Manager Dr Cassandra Griffin, Associate Professor Paul Tooney, and MHF Centre Director Professor Mike Fay.

We know it’s going to take a team effort to fight brain cancer by sharing knowledge, samples and infrastructure. We’re determined to team up and make a difference.