Landmark UK study could lead to more effective treatments for people living with brain cancer

Diffuse gliomas are aggressive brain tumours which are difficult to treat and have a low likelihood of recovery. However, researchers say the results of a ground-breaking study, published in Nature Communications, could pave the way for targeted therapies and drugs for the condition.

The study, Genomic landscape of diffuse glioma revealed by whole genome sequencing, contains detailed genomic data, correlated with clinical data for over 400 brain tumour patients, the largest data set of its kind in the world, taken from the 100,000 Genomes Project. The 100,000 Genomes Project was a pioneering study led by Genomics England and NHS England that sequenced 100,000 genomes from NHS patients affected by rare conditions or cancer and resulted in new diagnoses and actionable findings for thousands.

The research results have revealed an unprecedented genomic blueprint of diffuse gliomas through comprehensive whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS is a technique that enables the comprehensive reading of a person’s entire genome, comprising the 3.2 billion letters that make up our DNA.

Keyoumars Ashkan MBE, Professor of Neurosurgery and Consultant Neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and author of the research study, said: “We are extremely proud to have created such an invaluable resource for clinicians to better predict outcomes and develop treatments for patients with glioma that are tailored to the tumour’s unique genetic makeup.”