Funding from the 2025 NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Round will power a groundbreaking project aimed at developing new, highly targeted treatments for brain cancer patients.
The initiative will be led by the Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research (MHF Centre) at the University of Newcastle, working alongside industry and researchers in Queensland.
The project will focus on creating new drugs that can be delivered directly to brain tumours using theranostics, which is a personalised treatment approach that combines diagnostics and therapy.
This method uses PET scanning to identify specific targets on tumour cells and, if present, delivers a radioactive form of the drug via injection to selectively attack cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue.
Brain cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in Australians under 40 and in children under 10. For patients and families facing limited treatment options, the project offers fresh hope.
With its base in regional Australia, the MHF Centre is uniquely positioned to develop novel drugs, trial them in small patient groups, and then scale up in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies.
The scale of public support behind the 2025 Beanie Round was immense, raising more than $3.5 million for brain cancer research and patient support. Organisers are determined to channel that generosity into large-scale research efforts capable of delivering tangible results.
This project has the potential to move from clinical trials to practice in a relatively short time, bringing new treatment options to clinics nationwide.
The MHF Centre will leverage its expertise in imaging and therapeutics, along with access to the country’s newest MRI technology and close connections to patients, to advance the research quickly.
By uniting researchers across Australia and internationally, the goal is to deliver better outcomes and a higher quality of life for those diagnosed with brain cancer.
The Mark Hughes Foundation has been funding vital brain cancer research for more than a decade. For more information on the Foundation’s work and how to support future initiatives, visit markhughesfoundation.com.au.
