3rd September 2025
The Trust has partnered with Queen’s University and a local charity, Brainwaves NI, in a project exploring whether new sequencing technology can shorten the time it takes to diagnose brain tumours.
The project team is investigating the use of ‘rapid nanopore sequencing’ – a method which was first developed by the University of Nottingham. This method is capable of reducing the wait for a confirmed diagnosis from the standard time of several weeks to just hours.
The innovation can ensure that patients and clinicians receive faster answers, relieving uncertainty about the precise tumour type. The project will show how the technology could be applied in Northern Ireland to accelerate the information flow to patients and care teams.
Diagnosing brain tumours is known to be particularly challenging. Many look similar under the microscope, and the exact subtype often cannot be confirmed until tissue is tested in specialist laboratories. This makes it harder to plan the best course of treatment after surgery.
Faster turnaround would therefore mean patients and their families spend less time waiting for answers, and clinicians can make treatment choices earlier and with greater confidence.
Dr Estelle Healy, Consultant Neuropathologist at Belfast Health & Social Care Trust has praised the project.
“This is an exciting opportunity to develop our regional service for patients, based at the Belfast Trust and to trial a technology which could be adopted routinely across the UK for faster brain tumour diagnosis.”
While the immediate focus is on reducing waiting times for post-surgical diagnosis and follow-up care, the same technology could also be applied during surgery itself in future, helping surgeons make even more informed decisions in real time.
(Main Photo L-R) Professor David Simpson, Professor of Genomics, Professor Charuhas Thakar, Centre Director, WWEIM, Colin McMillan, Chair of Brainwaves NI, Professor Ian Bruce, Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Medicine, Health and Life Sciences and Dr Estelle Healy, Consultant Neuropathologist with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
