image: Dr Liyam Laraba, Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth, will lead the new NF Preclinical Hub with funding from the Children's Tumor Foundation
Credit: University of Plymouth
Researchers at the University of Plymouth are leading an innovative initiative to advance the study of meningiomas in NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN).
Meningiomas, often linked to the loss of the NF2 gene, are a hallmark of NF2-SWN and can severely impact patients’ lives despite being typically non-malignant.
Through this new project, researchers will address two critical gaps in meningioma research – the development of effective therapies that improve patient outcomes, and the inability to study the interactions between human immune cells and meningioma tumour cells in living systems before advancing new therapies to clinical trials.
To do this, scientists at the University’s Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence – with funding from the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) – will develop a humanised meningioma model for NF2-SWN, which will enable researchers worldwide to study these complex interactions and accelerate the development of new therapies.
Dr Liyam Laraba, Research Fellow at the University and lead researcher on the initiative, said: “Developing therapies for meningioma and other types of brain tumour represents a significant challenge for the global scientific community. Even when potential immunotherapies are identified, they will need to undergo several phases of complex testing and no model exists to look at these therapies’ effectiveness or side-effects in a living organism. We believe this project could play a vital role in the process, creating a model on which therapies can be tested to ensure they are safe and effective. In the long run, that could ultimately shorten the time it takes for drugs to be validated and used for patient treatment.”
The power of the NF Preclinical Hub
This initiative is the first award under the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s Preclinical Hub Funding Program, aimed at scaling and accelerating drug discovery efforts and preclinical testing capacity across the NF research field. Built as a public-private partnership and led by a dedicated preclinical Director, the NF Preclinical Hub builds on CTF’s ground-breaking programs such as the NF Preclinical and Therapeutics Consortium and the Synodos-NF2 consortium that both led to the identification of clinically efficacious treatments.
Annette Bakker, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Children’s Tumor Foundation, said: “Through our Preclinical Consortium, Synodos-NF2 initiatives, and leadership in establishing global NF platform trials, the Children’s Tumor Foundation continues to enable critical advancements in NF drug discover. The NF Preclinical Hub continues this momentum by providing the tools and resources necessary to make NF attractive to pharma, biotech, and investors ensuring that promising therapies reach the clinic – and patients – faster.”
Pioneering a new path forward
Led by a multidisciplinary team – with Dr Laraba working alongside Chair in Clinical Neurobiology Professor Oliver Hanemann, Professor of Neuroscience David Parkinson, and Lecturer in Bioinformatics Dr Matt Banton – the project includes three major components:
• Developing a humanised meningioma model by transplanting mice with human immune cells;
• Characterising the immune cells commonly found in meningioma patients;
• Screening therapies to validate the model for drug development.
Once validated, the model will be made available to researchers worldwide, offering a ready-made platform to test therapies without the delays of building a model from scratch.
A promising future for meningioma therapies
This partnership represents a critical step forward in meningioma therapy development, leveraging the University of Plymouth’s leadership in brain tumour research and the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s commitment to delivering revolutionary treatment options. By addressing the complexities of NF2-SWN, the collaboration will improve the odds of success in clinical trials and deliver better treatment options for patients living with these challenging tumours.