Birmingham Brain Tumour Network Symposium

Birmingham Brain Tumour Network Symposium

By Birmingham Brain Tumour Network-Uni of Birmingham

From Concept to Delivery: Developing Networked Solutions for Brain Cancer Patients

Date and time

Location

The Birmingham Conference & Events Centre

Hill Street Birmingham B5 4EW United Kingdom

Agenda

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Arrival & Registration

10:00 AM - 10:10 AM

Welcome & Introduction

Professor Colin Watts

Professor Colin Watts leads the newly established Brain Cancer Programme at the University of Birmingham. His research aims to improve the treatment and survival of patients with glioma by understand...

10:10 AM - 10:25 AM

Building a long-term network and achieving clinical impact

Prof. Andrew Peet

Dr. John Apps

Professor Peet is an NIHR Research Professor and practicing paediatric oncologist whose pioneering work in MRI and tumour metabolism has shaped international standards in childhood cancer imaging. He...

10:25 AM - 10:30 AM

Adaptive sampling vs. WGS for rapid brain tumour diagnosis

Prof. Andrew Beggs

Professor Andrew Beggs is a leading expert in cancer genetics and surgery at the University of Birmingham. He is Deputy Director of the Birmingham Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, Theme Lead for ...

10:30 AM - 10:35 AM

The patient in a dish: what can we do with patient-derived cell models

10:35 AM - 10:40 AM

Tickling our telomeres: new perspectives on an old problem

Dr. Ronan Broderick

Dr Ronan Broderick’s research focuses on the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT); a telomere maintenance mechanism that promotes the proliferation and survival of 10-15% of all cancers. Rona...

10:40 AM - 10:45 AM

Alternatives to X-rays: improving cell killing, protecting the brain

Prof. Jason Parsons

Professor Jason Parsons is Chair of Radiobiology at the University of Birmingham, working across Cancer and Genomic Sciences and Physics and Astronomy. His research focuses on the molecular and cellu...

10:45 AM - 11:05 AM

Panel Discussion

11:05 AM - 11:25 AM

Break

11:25 AM - 11:30 AM

Developing our tissue pipelines: challenges and successes

Dr. Victoria Wykes

Victoria Wykes is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham and an Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at University Hospital Birmingham...

11:30 AM - 11:35 AM

The operating room as an extension of the laboratory: an EPIC idea

Dr. Ola Rominiyi

Dr. Ola Rominiyi is a neurosurgical trainee and Translational Lead for the Sheffield Translational Brain Tumour Research Group. He studied medicine at the University of Manchester, graduating with Ho...

11:35 AM - 11:40 AM

WOOPs the future of early drug development?

Dr. Vinton Cheng

Dr Vinton Cheng is an Associate Clinical Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology with a clinical focus on the holistic management of adult patients with primary and metastatic brain tum...

11:40 AM - 12:00 PM

Panel Discussion

12:00 PM - 12:05 PM

DETERMINE to do things differently: novel trial design for the 21st century

Lucy Abell - Trial Statistician for the DETERMINE trial

12:05 PM - 12:10 PM

Brain Cancer Networks: Lessons from BRAIN MATRIX

Prof. Colin Watts

12:10 PM - 12:15 PM

Fit for filing cancer studies: Our experience

Prof. Amos Burke

Amos Burke is Professor of Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham and an Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Birmingham, Women and Children’s Hospital. He is Director of the Can...

12:15 PM - 12:35 PM

Panel Discussion

12:35 PM - 1:35 PM

Lunch

1:35 PM - 1:50 PM

Implementation into Clinical Practice

Abigail Lishman DX Cover Head of Commercial Development

Dr. Sonia Ashraf

1:50 PM - 2:05 PM

Developing surgically implanted TTFields device for treatment of glioblastoma

Dr. Richard Fu

Dr Richard Fu is Chief Technology Officer at QV Bioelectronics, where he leads the development of innovative implantable devices for glioblastoma treatment. His work focuses on translating cutting-ed...

2:05 PM - 2:20 PM

Radiomics: Paediatric MRI of Brain tumours, from lab to clinic

Dr. Jan Novak

2:20 PM - 2:35 PM

The role of collaboration

2:35 PM - 2:55 PM

Needs, ambitions & aspirations

Florence Gannon - Business Engagement Partner UOB

Claire Peters - Head of Charitable Funding UOB

2:55 PM - 3:10 PM

Wrap Up, next steps & logo design winner

Prof. Colin Watts

3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Networking with Refreshments

3:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Close

Good to know

Highlights

  • 6 hours
  • In person

Highlights

  • 6 hours
  • In person

About this event

Health

The Birmingham Brain Tumour Network (BBTN) is a dynamic, cross-disciplinary initiative committed to transforming brain tumour research and care through collaboration, innovation, and impact. Anchored at the University of Birmingham, BBTN brings together clinicians, scientists, industry partners, charities, and patient advocates to accelerate progress from idea to implementation.

Our upcoming symposium, From Concept to Delivery: Developing Networked Solutions for Brain Cancer Patients, showcases Birmingham’s exceptional breadth of expertise — from cutting-edge organoid modelling and translational pipelines to pioneering clinical trials and commercial spin-outs. It’s a space where early-career researchers, senior academics, and external stakeholders converge to spotlight success stories, identify barriers, and co-create solutions.

This event for BBTN is more than a showcase, it’s a call to action. Whether you’re working in diagnostics, data science, drug development, or patient support, we invite you to join a growing network that’s shaping the future of brain tumour research and care across the UK and beyond.

Organised by

Birmingham Brain Tumour Network-Uni of Birmingham

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Free
Nov 7 · 09:30 GMT