FURTHER research into a children's cancer is to be carried out in the region, thanks to a charity set up in memory of a North-East girl.

Katie Neal, from Redcar, was six years old when she died as a result of a medulloblastoma tumour, in March 1999.

Just two months later, her parents, Martin and Debbie, began looking at ways to raise money to fund a post for a PhD student to joint the cancer research team at Newcastle General Hospital in an attempt to look for a cure for the cancer.

Now, the charity has raised £50,000 of the £61,000 needed to fund the post for three years and research student Charles McManamy has started working full time on the project.

Mr McManamy, from Preston, Lancashire, is working at the hospital with the medulloblastoma team and is looking at the genetics side of the cancer.

It is an aggressive form of cancer, which affects children from birth and hits the brain and the central nervous system.

The Newcastle team is the country's leading group in the study of this type of cancer.

Dr David Ellison said: "If our hypotheses are proved by Charles's work, then we will be able to classify medulloblastomas much better.

"This means that treatment can be optimised for each child."

Katie's father, Martin, said that he and his wife were pleased to see that their efforts had come to fruition.

"We are really delighted. It is lovely to see something tangible and, if we can play some small part in making some progress and finding an effective cure, we would be really, really pleased.

"What Katie loved best was helping other people.

"It is nice to think that, through this, her name is helping others."

But the charity is not considering stopping its efforts yet, and is already planning a series of fundraising events this year to bring in more money