Zachary Watson, PhDUniversity of Colorado DenverAurora, CO The influence of bone marrow-derived adipocytes on pro-tumor signaling and lipid metabolism in ovarian cancer Dr. Watson is investigating a potential driver of ovarian cancer development to lay the foundation for discovering new early detection and treatment strategies. Ovarian cancer spreads aggressively into abdominal fat deposits, which often […]
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Nerves as novel actors in the tumor microenvironment: the role of exosomes in ovarian cancer tumor innervation Although advances in surgery and chemotherapy for ovarian cancer have improved survival, most women with ovarian cancer will experience recurrence of their disease. Unfortunately, recurrent ovarian cancers respond poorly to chemotherapy and are incurable, highlighting the need for […]
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T. Rinda Soong, MD, PhDUniversity of Pittsburgh2020 Scientific Scholar Award Early Serous Tubal Proliferations as Alternate Precursors of High-Grade Serous Carcinoma Identifying the origins of high grade serous ovarian cancer can help us understand how to prevent this disease or detect it at earlier, more treatable stages. Precancerous changes in fallopian tube tissue known as […]
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Ilana Chefetz, PhDUniversity of Minnesota – Twin Cities2020 Lynda’s Fund Pilot Study Award AMPK-alpha-like proteins in a high grade serous ovarian cancer Although epithelial ovarian cancer responds well to initial treatment, the cancer recurs in a significant number of women. Once ovarian cancer recurs it is generally lethal, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving […]
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Rosemary Foster, PhDMassachusetts General Hospital Identification and Characterization of the Ovarian Cancer Stem Cell Cancer stem cells have recently been identified in some solid tumors and are thought to drive tumor formation. Most tumors likely contain rare subpopulations of stem-like cells that would serve as critical targets of more clinically effective therapies. Our research experiments […]
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Mary Zhang, PhDUniversity of South Florida Role of HDAC6 and its novel substrate cortactin in ovarian cancer cell motility HDACs are a group of enzymes that regulate cell growth and migration, and hence are likely involved with the metastases of ovarian cancer. This study will examine the role between these enzymes and the molecular events […]
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Keren Levanon, MD, PhDDana-Farber Cancer Institute The Fallopian Tube as field of origin of ovarian serous carcinoma Research on ovarian carcinogenesis has traditionally focused on the ovarian surface epithelium as the fields of origin. More recently, the secretory cell of the fallopian tube has emerged as an alternate cell-of-origin for ovarian and pelvic serous carcinomas, […]
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Christina Annunziata, MD, PhDNational Cancer Institute Characterization of NF-kB signaling as a therapeutic target in ovarian cancer The NF-kB family of transcription factors has been implicated in the increase of ovarian cancer cell lines, but the significance and the mechanism of signaling is unknown. Initial experiments identified a subset of ovarian cancer cell lines that […]
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Shailendra Giri, PhDMayo Clinic S-nitrosylation mediated inactiviation of TSG in ovarian cancer Chronic inflammation has become a well-accepted risk factor for epithelial-derived malignancies, including ovarian cancer. But how inflammation contributes to the process of carcinogenesis is a grey area. If successful, Dr. Giri’s study will elucidate the possible novel regulation of chemical inactivation of LKB1-AMPK […]
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Melissa Thompson, PhDUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The Role of the Tumor Microenvironment in Ovarian Cancer Progression Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer, accounting for 15,520 deaths annually. Preliminary studies by Dr. Thompson indicate that the tumor microenvironment enables and promotes tumor progression and chemoresistance, possibly through the expression of SFRP2. With […]
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