Live research projects

Discover the research projects currently funded or co-funded by our charity and see how your support is helping drive the next generation of medical breakthroughs

cancer patient with nurse on the ward

Funding the next generation of leaders in childhood cancer

We’ve joined forces with University of Birmingham and The Azaylia Foundation in the UK’s fight against childhood cancer. Five new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed every day, yet it receives less than 3% of all cancer research funding.

Committed to advancing early diagnosis and new treatments for children with cancer in the UK, together with University of Birmingham, we’re the proud founding partners of The Azaylia Childhood Cancer PhD Fund, supporting the next generation of clinical research scientists.  

This fund has enabled paediatric oncology clinicians to take their insights and ideas into the laboratory and back into clinical practice, allowing them to be at the forefront of what’ is possible in cancer diagnosis and treatment.   

In total, we’re proud to have co-funded four Azaylia Childhood Cancer PhD candidates here in Birmingham, worth over £560,000. A total which has been match-funded by The Azaylia Foundation.  

With this much-needed investment, we’re attracting the next generation of research scientists,  to complete groundbreaking, world-class research into the early diagnosis of childhood cancer and more importantly, find new and gentler treatments to improve survival rates for young cancer patients in Birmingham across the UK.  

The Azaylia Foundation was created in memory of Ashley Cain and Safiyya Vorajee’s beautiful daughter, Azaylia Diamond Cain, who passed away from leukaemia in August 2021.   

cancer patient in the hospital with a nurse

Reducing post-operative brain damage following aortic arch surgery

Twelve children in the UK are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) every day and a third of these will require emergency surgery during infancy. Of these patients, approximately a third will also require hypothermic circulatory arrest, which is when blood flow is temporarily suspended under very cold body temperatures. 

At cold temperatures, cellular activity levels slow significantly so blood circulation can be stopped for up to 40 minutes without harm to the patient. This allows surgery to safely be performed on the aorta, the largest artery of the body which carries blood from the heart to the circulatory system, when clamping to contain blood flow is either not possible or not desirable.   

It’s a risky surgery with around 44% of children developing a degree of newly acquired brain damage. The risk and severity of brain damage is highest amongst those who receive aortic arch repair with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.   

This may be avoidable with better perioperative monitoring via electroencephlography, the recording of brain activity. This research study looks at the feasibility of electroencephlography and then assesses the benefits of perioperative monitoring to prevent further brain damage.  

The study’s results will benefit 74 patients with CHD each year, especially those receiving aortic arch repair.Assessments will take place 22 to 26 months post-surgery, to determine the benefits of electroencephlography monitoring, rather than purposefully slowing a patient’s blood flow to repair the aortic arch.