University of Adelaide researchers receive funding for brain cancer study

Researchers at the University of Adelaide are conducting new studies to improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for brain cancer. Led by biophysicist Professor Ivan Kempson, the project aims to challenge long-standing assumptions in radiation biology that have largely remained unchanged since the 1960s and 1970s.

The research has received $240,000 in funding through the Mark Hughes Foundation Centre for Brain Cancer Research at the University of Newcastle. This project marks the first announcement under a new national funding initiative intended to accelerate brain cancer research through increased collaboration.

Using specialized tools that are the first of their kind in Australia, the team will measure radiation-induced DNA damage with unprecedented precision. The goal is to better understand how radiation affects tumor cells, healthy cells, and the immune system, ultimately seeking ways to maximize damage to cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy brain tissue.