Górnośląskie Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka (the Upper Silesian Children’s Health Centre) has received specialist equipment necessary for neurosurgical diagnosis. The funds for the purchase of the equipment came from the auction held on December 6th, 2017 by the organisers of the Eurobuild Awards Gala.

“A low temperature freezer is necessary for storing the fragments of brain tumour tissue collected during surgery. Such material can be used for molecular tests of the tumour. Molecular research into brain tumours is becoming more and more important for the correct determination of the histological form of the tumour, for the prognosis and, most importantly, in some forms of the disease the identification of the best treatment. The current method of identifying central nervous system tumours requires molecular typing. DNA testing can also be performed with a fixed material, while RNA testing requires tissue samples frozen to -80C immediately after removal from the patient. That is why having a low-temperature freezer in the operating theatre is essential for the proper diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours,” explains Marek Mandera, the head of the department of paediatric neurosurgery at the Medical University of Silesia / the Upper Silesian Children’s Health Centre.

The money was raised during the 2017 Eurobuild Awards Gala for the real estate sector. “Encouraged by Szymon Majewski and Robert Mielżyński – the friends of our foundation – and Piotr Kraśko, who hosted the gala, guests at the event generously contributed to the charity fundraiser, which enabled us to buy almost PLN 45,000 of equipment. Funds left over raised from the donations at the Gala went towards financing a holiday camp in Karpacz for children supported by the Iskierka foundation who suffer from cancer,” reveals the foundation.