The start of their journey
Michael and Penny were building a life filled with love.
They were newly married, building their careers, expecting their first baby. Then, without warning, Michael was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Don't let families
be blindsided
by cancer
Support pioneering research to develop technology that cancer can't hide from.
Please donate today
Your support still matters
Your gift can help families blindsided by brain cancer
Brain cancer is complex and unpredictable. It can send people’s lives careering down unforeseen pathways, upending plans and dreams for the future. Leaving devastated families with nothing but memories and photos.
But pioneering research could soon mean no more families are blindsided by brain cancer.
But pioneering research could soon mean no more families are blindsided by brain cancer.
Brilliant researchers are working on a non-invasive test that could soon allow doctors to:
- Diagnose brain cancer earlier.
- Match patients with the best possible treatments at the right time.
- Monitor a tumour’s progression and response to treatment.
- Swiftly detect any recurrence.
A family blindsided
by cancer.
Scroll through Michael and Penny’s story to see how quickly life can change — and why urgent brain cancer research matters. Your gift can help families blindsided by brain cancer.
“Just weeks after they made this painting, we had to say goodbye.” – Penny
Hope returned
After surgery, Michael received the all clear.
Michael and Penny focused on raising their baby girl.
Life became a rollercoaster
Blindsided, again and again.
Cancer returned and progressed rapidly.
Holding onto every moment
Michael focused on the people he loved the most.
He made the most of the time with his family.
What remains
Now Penny and the girls are left with photos and the memories they made together.
Brain cancer can take so much, so quickly. Your donation can help fund vital research into better ways to prevent, detect and treat brain cancer — giving families like Michael’s more time together.
Your support can still help fund urgently needed brain cancer research.
Did you know
3 Australians
are diagnosed with brain cancer every day?
Brain cancer kills more children and people under 40 than any other cancer.
Research is the best hope for better treatments and longer survival.
Did you know
research funding
accelerates breakthroughs?
No family should be blindsided by cancer.
Together, we can fund the research that gives patients and families hope.
Did you know
your donation
is tax-deductible this financial year?
Donate by 30 June.
Your donation today is tax-deductible and will help fund urgently needed brain cancer research.
Pioneering technology that cancer can't hide from
Dr. Susannah Hallal is laying the groundwork for a future where brain cancer is easier to track and treat, so no family will be blindsided by this devastating disease.
Dr. Hallal’s work focuses on identifying ‘extracellular vesicle’ (EV) biomarkers. These are nanoparticles that all cells release into the body, providing vital information about whether cancer is present, how it’s progressing, if it’s responding to treatment, and how the immune system is reacting.
Currently focusing on glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer, Dr. Hallal is refining a technique to analyse EVs from just a few drops of blood or urine–a more accessible and patient-friendly alternative to invasive brain biopsies and scans.
This innovative approach could allow doctors to detect tumour recurrence earlier–potentially before symptoms even appear–so patients like Michael can have more options for timely and targeted treatments.
This is just one example of the kind of life-changing research you can support with a tax-deductible gift.
Dr Hallal’s team have collected thousands of GBM samples at all tumour stages.
Using cutting-edge technology, they are isolating the EVs within each sample.
They are capturing comprehensive information on protein, RNA and lipid biomarkers.
Using AI, they will analyse the data to profile EV ‘fingerprints’ at every stage of GBM.
This will create a crucial tool for doctors to monitor brain cancer, so no one will be blindsided.
“If Cure Brain Cancer Foundation didn't exist, it would be horrible. I don't want to think about the number of families who would have to continue to experience what we did. It's just heartbreaking.”
- Penny
Please support crucial research, so families won't be blindsided by cancer.
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