Daniela Dinulescu, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Experimental Models to Validate a Tubal Cell of Origin for Serous Ovarian Cancer
Too little is known about the genetic lesions responsible for ovarian cancer tumor initiation, and uncertainty remains over the specific cell or cells of origin. Data emerging from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) on the many genomic alterations in serous ovarian carcinoma has delivered a treasure trove of new candidates for investigation, but discerning which gene alterations are critical early events in cancer pathogenesis, how tumors evolve to their highly aggressive state, and which pathways represent the best therapeutic targets will require a large scale collaborative research effort. Animal models developed in Dr. Dinulescu’s lab, which accurately recapitulate the human disease, constitute great tools for defining the key roles that ovarian cancer cells in the ovarian surface epithelium and distal fallopian tube play in tumor initiation and resistance to chemotherapy. Furthermore, they provide us with unique, relevant in vivo systems in which to screen novel molecularly targeted therapies as they become available.