The new ultra-rapid test has the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment for thousands of patients with brain tumours which can be aggressive and challenging to treat.

Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, according to The Brain Tumour Charity.

There are currently more than 100 identified types of brain tumour, and clinicians need to identify which kind a patient has to determine the most effective way to treat them.

Identifying the exact tumour type as quickly as possible is vital to ensure patients receive timely, often life-saving cancer care whilst reducing the stressful wait for them and their families.

Faster brain tumour diagnoses move a step closer

Newcastle University, working in partnership with Newcastle Hospitals, is one of five specialist centres across the country to form a new network of excellence for scientists and doctors to become ‘early adopters’ gathering more evidence about the test’s effectiveness for adults and children with brain tumours.

Dr Jonathan Coxhead, head of the Genomics Core Facility at Newcastle University, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work with the Newcastle Hospitals team to help drive the adoption of this test in the NHS, it's exciting knowing this can have a direct impact on improving the patient care."

The two-year project funded by NHS England will explore whether this rapid test is suitable for wider NHS use, considering whether the test benefits patients, provides clinicians with useful information and works reliably in healthcare settings.

Currently, tumour samples taken during surgery are sent to specialist laboratories for detailed analysis which although highly accurate, can take several weeks before the exact type of tumour is confirmed.

The innovative test uses nanopore genetic sequencing and software known as ROBIN to analyse the tumour's DNA, enabling scientists to generate results far more quickly than traditional methods.

The Newcastle team includes specialist scientists and doctors working in the fields of genetics, examining tissue samples to diagnose disease, cancer and neurology which refers to conditions affecting the brain.

Project lead, Angharad Goodman is a clinical scientist at the Newcastle Genetics Laboratory, which provides expert laboratory analysis of samples from across the region to support the diagnosis of a wide range of cancers.

“This is really exciting, the test could revolutionise brain tumour diagnosis," she said.

“At the moment we carry out different genetic tests which can take a few weeks to provide a complete set of results. This new single test could give us all the information that we require for brain tumour diagnosis within days.”

She added: “The aspiration is to have a provisional result whilst the patient is still in surgery, which would be amazing, and would build on the work already demonstrated through the national pilot programme.”

Promising test enters next phase

The project follows an initial project funded by Newcastle Hospitals Charity which used the test on 40 different types of brain tumours from children, young people and adults across the north east.

Simon Bailey, Professor of Paediatric Neuro Oncology at Newcastle University, said: "This test will significantly improve our ability to make a rapid and accurate diagnosis, and in turn faster treatment planning so that children can start the most effective treatment as soon as possible.

"It will also allow clarity for children and their families much sooner so they can plan their lives."