Survival rates have barely changed in 30 years.
Many minds.
One focus.
World-first brain cancer clinical trials launched in Melbourne
A world-first clinical trial platform launching in Melbourne is set to transform research into new therapies for brain cancer and deliver more targeted, personalised treatment for patients.
The Brain-POP (brain perioperative) clinical trial platform will enable doctors to precisely see the effect of a new drug therapy on a patient’s brain cancer for the first time, by comparing tumour samples before and after treatment.
The new platform is led by The Brain Cancer Centre and research partners WEHI, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne, with $16 million in funding support from the Victorian Government.
Bringing together our brightest medical research minds to end brain cancer as a terminal illness.



Brain cancer is a devastating illness.
Currently there is no cure.
We need to change this.
80% of patients diagnosed with brain cancer will die within 5 years.
One Australian is diagnosed with brain cancer every 5 hours.
Brain cancer kills more kids in Australia than any other disease.
Brain cancer kills more people under 40 than any other cancer.
Working together to create a brighter future for patients and their families.

A shared vision:
We want to transform brain cancer to be a treatable and survivable disease, so that all brain cancer patients have real hope.
We bring together the best and brightest minds with a single focus: to improve outcomes for brain cancer patients NOW and in the future. Our world-class research teams will work collaboratively to develop new treatments and trials so that patients diagnosed with brain cancer are given real hope.
The Brain Cancer Centre was founded by Carrie’s Beanies 4 Brain Cancer and established in partnership with WEHI with support from the Victorian Government.
The Brain Cancer Centre
We want to see a world where brain cancer is a treatable and survivable disease, and where no lives are lost to brain cancer.
To deliver our vision, we need both a sense of urgency to improve the outcomes for brain cancer patients now and a commitment to long-term research that will provide life-changing treatments for future generations.
To be successful, a radically different approach to brain cancer research in Australia is required.
We will develop a system that:
- has CRITICAL MASS, significant funding, researchers and momentum driving us towards our mission;
- is COMPREHENSIVE, spanning discovery, translational research, clinical trials, data and tissue banking, and quality-of-life research;
- is COLLABORATIVE, harnessing the expertise of
multidisciplinary teams of scientists (biologists, chemists,
mathematicians, computer scientists and technologists)
and clinicians (oncologists, surgeons, radiation
oncologists and immunotherapists); - is COLLEGIAL, where up-and-coming researchers are
attracted into the field to be inspired and mentored by
experienced scientists; and - is COMMITTED to long-term research underpinned by
CONTINUOUS funding.