King’s neurosurgeon discusses breakthrough on BBC Breakfast

16 June 2025 - Thanks to funding from Charlotte's BAG, we can now do molecular testing of brain tumours

Tune in to BBC Breakfast to find out how the legacy of a former patient, Charlotte Eades, is helping to advance care and treatment for brain tumour patients thanks to a lab at King’s College Hospital.

Charlotte was 16 when she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing and rare form of brain cancer. During her illness, Charlotte fought to raise awareness of cancer in young people and kept a video blog to document her life with the condition.

Charlotte, along with her mother, Alex, and brother, Miles, established the charity Charlotte’s BAG, which stands for Charlotte’s Battle Against Glioblastoma, and also a nod to her love of handbags. The charity raises money for research into the condition to help other children, teenagers and young adults with the condition.

Sadly, Charlotte was just 19 when she died in 2016 but fundraising continued and the charity has donated more than £300,000 to King’s, contributing significantly to the brain tumour service.

The money has been spent developing a laboratory (Charlotte’s Lab); purchasing equipment and employing scientists in neuropathology to help with whole genome sequencing of brain tumours within 24 hours.

Mr Ranj Bhangoo, Consultant Neurosurgeon, discusses the importance of the work coming out of the lab. He says, “By getting as much genetic and molecular information as possible, can make a decision with the patient about how is their tumour going to behave. We are routinely now able to offer this analysis to patients.”

Watch the BBC Breakfast piece in full.