Richard Moore, MDUniversity of Rochester Targeting HE4 for Checkpoint Immunotherapy of Ovarian Cancer HE4 is a protein that is highly overproduced in ovarian cancer cells and secreted into the bloodstream and serves as a biomarker for the presence of ovarian cancer. However, HE4 is also causally linked to tumorigenesis by promoting enhanced growth, blood vessel […]
Read MoreGeeta Mehta, PhDUniversity of Michigan Shear stress modulates invasiveness, tumorigenicity, and immune responses in ovarian stem cells The ovarian cancer environment in the abdominal cavity is quite complex, as cancer cells exist among cancer progenitor cells and immune cells in the ascites fluid. The physical stress from fluid movement and interactions with other cells likely […]
Read MoreNeil Johnson, PhDFox Chase Cancer Center Investigating the ability of splicing inhibitors to target BRCA1 mutant ovarian cancer Though patients with mutations in the BRCA1 gene respond better to cisplatin and PARP inhibitors than patients without mutations, resistance to these drugs remains a major obstacle for the successful long-term treatment of ovarian cancer. Dr. Johnson’s […]
Read MoreNadine Hempel, PhDPennsylvania State University College of Medicine Pre-clinical Investigation of High Dose Ascorbate IP Therapy High dose of Ascorbate, or Vitamin C, administered through the bloodstream has been suggested to have anti-tumor properties when given in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. This concomitant treatment strategy has shown promise in early clinical trials of ovarian […]
Read MoreAlan D’Andrea, MDDana-Farber Cancer Institute Novel mechanisms of PARP-inhibitor resistance in BRCA2-deficient ovarian and breast cancer PARP inhibitors are a promising class of drugs for the treatment of ovarian cancers with defects in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. However, drug resistance to PARP inhibitors poses a significant challenge for clinicians. Dr. D’Andrea’s group has recently […]
Read MoreAlice Soragni, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA, United States 2018 LYNDA’S FUND PILOT STUDY AWARD Project: p53 aggregation in pre-malignant ovarian cancer lesions Research Area: Cancer Biology Summary:p53 is a crucial tumor suppressor protein that prevents damaged cells from becoming cancerous. In order to divide uncontrollably, cancer cells often inactivate p53 by mutating it, as […]
Read MoreGianpietro Dotti, M.D.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Targeting B7-H3 in Ovarian Cancer Ovarian cancer is an aggressive type of tumor for which no effective therapy is currently available when the disease comes back after chemotherapy and surgery. This has prompted Dr. Dotti to develop a strategy in which the immune system will […]
Read MoreEmanuela Grassilli, Ph.D.Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (University of Milano – Bicocca)Monza, Italy Project: p65BTK as an actionable target in ovarian cancer Research Area: Novel Therapy Summary:Dr. Grassilli proposes to test treatment of ovarian cancer with drugs that target a protein called p65BTK which is expressed by ovarian cancer cells. She recently identified p65BTK as a protein […]
Read MoreSteven M Jay, Ph.D.University of Maryland College ParkCollege Park, MD, United States Engineering HER3-targeted ovarian cancer therapy The presence of the HER3 protein on the surface of ovarian cancer cells is associated with worse survival outcomes; therefore, blocking the pro-cancer activity of the HER3 protein may improve survival. Dr. Jay’s lab has developed a new […]
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