Cheng Wang, PhD
University of Nebraska Medical Center
2015 Barbara Learned Bridge Funding Award
The Hippo/YAP Signaling Pathway in Ovarian High Grade Serous Carcinoma
Knowing where and how ovarian cancer starts will lead to earlier detection and better therapies. Recent studies have identified the fallopian tube secretory epithelial cell as the origin for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer. Dr. Wang’s project will determine how high-grade serous ovarian cancer starts in the fallopian tube cells and how these cells move into the ovaries and lead to ovarian cancer. Past studies in Dr. Wang’s lab found that YAP, a key regulator of the Hippo pathway which orchestrates organ development, is able to transform fallopian tube secretory epithelial cells from normal cells into cells with cancerous properties. The proposed study will examine the ability of YAP to promote cell migration and invasion (properties of metastatic cancers), angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels that sustain cancer growth), and ovarian tissue remodeling.