A Cheshire medical technology company has secured £4.5 million in investment to develop a groundbreaking implantable device that could significantly extend the lives of patients with glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer in adults.

QV Bioelectronics, based at Alderley Park, has created what it claims is the world's first implantable technology designed to improve outcomes for patients with the hard-to-treat condition, which affects around 2,200 adults in the UK each year.

Glioblastoma accounted for approximately a third of all brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017, according to Cancer Research UK. The disease is particularly lethal: only 3% of patients survive for five years following diagnosis, while fewer than 1% live for 15 years. Current treatments typically extend life by just 12 to 18 months.

The company's flagship technology, GRACE – Glioma Resection Advanced Cavity Electric Field therapy – uses continuous therapeutic electric fields to destroy residual cancer cells following brain tumour surgery. The approach addresses a critical challenge: glioblastoma has a 90% recurrence rate within two years of treatment.

The device was developed by Dr Christopher Bullock, a biomedical engineer, and Dr Richard Fu, an NHS neurosurgeon. Early laboratory testing has validated their approach, and the funding will enable the company to advance its clinical trial programme, including a first-in-human study planned for mid-2026.

"Brain cancer is a devastating diagnosis, and for too long patients and families have had few treatment options," said Dr Bullock, the company's chief executive. "Our mission is to develop technology that can meaningfully extend life and give people more time with those they love."

The investment round was led by PXN Ventures through its GMC Life Sciences Fund, with additional backing from NPIF II, Empirical Ventures, and angel investors. Non-dilutive support came from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Innovate UK.

Dr Kath Mackay, chief scientific officer at Bruntwood SciTech, described the North West as "a hotbed of life sciences innovation" and said the funding represented "a major vote of confidence in both the team and their pioneering approach."

Glioblastoma claimed the life of Dame Tessa Jowell, the former Labour MP and minister, who died in 2018 a year after diagnosis. Dr Nicky Huskens, chief executive of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, congratulated the QV Bioelectronics team, noting that "brain tumours remain one of the most difficult cancers to treat."