Bright support for Brain Tumour Research

Plymouth law firm Bright Solicitors has chosen Brain Tumour Research as its first Charity of the Year.

Over the coming months, the Bright team will set about raising thousands of pounds to support the charity which funds a Research Centre of Excellence at Plymouth University.

One of their fundraising events will be a sporting challenge which will see some employees cover 100 miles, either running or cycling from Plymouth to Moëlan-sur-Mer, France, via Roscoff.

Partner at Bright, Andy Price said: “This is the first time we have nominated a charity of the year and we are so pleased that our efforts will go towards the ground-breaking research taking place right here in Plymouth. It is shocking to learn that brain tumours kill more adults and children under 40 than any other cancer yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease. As well as raising money and providing us with some useful teambuilding experiences, I hope our support for Brain Tumour Research will help to raise awareness. The whole city should be proud that such vital work is taking place here and I hope people will join us by donating or organising their own events to help this very worthy cause.”

Professor Oliver Hanemann, Associate Dean Research at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and who leads the Plymouth Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, commented: “Our thanks go to Bright Solicitors for choosing Brain Tumour Research as its charity of the year. The support of local businesses and individuals is hugely important and helps us to find suitable and effective therapies to combat brain tumours.”

The research team in Plymouth are focusing on identifying and understanding the mechanism that makes a cell become cancerous. They are exploring ways in which to halt or reverse that mechanism. An innovation will be testing new drugs in human primary cell cultures leading to innovative phase 0 trials. It is hoped this will be followed by adaptive phase II/III trials with the potential for making drug therapies available to patients safely and more quickly.

Bright was named winner of the Best Professional Services category in this year’s Plymouth City and Waterfront Awards. The firm’s fundraising will be supported by Peter Jordan, the charity’s new community fundraiser in the south west who lost his father, Jim Jordan, from Paignton, to a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumour at the age of 76.

Peter said: “I am looking forward to working with the team at Bright. Their support will help us give hope to the many families who are affected by this dreadful disease. Brain Tumour Research is striving to fund a network of seven dedicated research centres whilst challenging the government and larger cancer charities to invest more in brain tumour research.”

In addition to the centre at Plymouth, the charity also funds centres at the University of Portsmouth, and at Imperial College and Queen Mary University of London.