To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what research the Medical Research Council is funding into diffuse midline glioma.
Answered on
1 October 2020
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is currently funding research relevant to Diffuse Midline Glioma (also previously known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)) and Glioma research more widely. This includes research at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh investigating cell-specific Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC) Accessory proteins and the regulation of mammalian neurodevelopment. Mutations that block PRC activity occur in the majority of cases of DIPG. This research will help to understand the molecular basis of brain development and underlying deficits in developmental brain disorders. In addition, researchers at the University of Leeds are looking into the stem cell origins of brain tumours containing non-neural cells, such as glia; defining the cell types driving the formation of tumours will enable more effective design of therapeutic interventions in the future.
The MRC also supports a broader portfolio of research relating to brain tumours that may help to improve our understanding of this particular condition and inform future research and potential treatments. The MRC recently coordinated a brain tumour workshop, in collaboration with the British Neurosciences Association and the Brain Tumour Research Charity, to facilitate increased engagement between the cancer and neuroscience communities and stimulate research submissions.