Reducing chemotherapy side effects
Share your views on proposed research into chemobrain and help researchers develop a study to reduce the impact of chemotherapy on people’s lives.
What’s the project about?
A common side effect of chemotherapy is known as 'chemobrain'. This is when people find it difficult to concentrate or become more forgetful. Chemobrain is caused by changes to the brain during chemotherapy. This can have a big impact on people's lives. However, there currently aren't many treatments available to help reduce it.
Researchers at the University of York are studying how chemotherapy affects brain cells. They plan to test whether certain medications can help protect the brain from chemotherapy side effects, or help it recover faster. They hope this will help them find safe, accessible therapies that could eventually improve the quality of life for people undergoing breast cancer treatment.
They’re submitting a grant application for their study and would like to hear from people who’ve had chemotherapy to get feedback on their research plans.
Who’s organising it?
Name of project lead: William Brackenbury
Job title: Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Organisation: University of York
Email address: william.brackenbury@york.ac.uk
Who can take part?
You can take part if you:
Have had a personal diagnosis of breast cancer
Are experiencing or have experienced symptoms of chemobrain resulting from chemotherapy
Why do you want me to be involved?
Your views will help shape the study. This could ultimately give better support for and improve the quality of life for people having breast cancer treatments.
What will you ask me to do?
The researchers would like you to attend a 1-hour online focus group. This will take place at 10am on Friday 30 October 2026.
At the focus group, the researchers would like to hear about your experience with chemo brain, and how you’d feel about taking extra drugs to improve these symptoms. They’ll send the specific questions and topics (no more than 6) beforehand. You’ll be offered £35 to thank you for your time.
If the grant application is successful, there may be opportunities to be involved in the research further down the line.
How do I get involved?
If you’d like to get involved, or have any questions, please contact William at william.brackenbury@york.ac.uk.
When’s the deadline?
13 October 2026
Get involved
Share your views and help the researchers develop a study that could help reduce the impact of chemotherapy on people’s lives.