Sarah Gitto, PhDUniversity of Pennsylania2022 Pape Family Scientific Scholar Award Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of tumor-specific TILs to enhance immunotherapy in ovarian cancer Immunotherapies aim to enhance the immune system’s capability of eliminating disease within the body. Often, immunotherapy for cancer targets a type of immune cell called T cells to activate their ability to […]
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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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Fiona Simpkins, MDUniversity of Miami Characterization of Subpopulations Capable of Self-Renewal in Ovarian Cancers Most ovarian cancer patients suffer disease recurrence, and most available chemotherapies are toxic and stop working. Cancer stem cells comprise a subpopulation of cells capable of self-renewal and are resistant to chemotherapy. By characterizing such subpopulations and determining which signaling pathways […]
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Erin George, MDUniversity of Pennsylvania2016 Skacel Family Scholar Targeting the ATR/CHK1 pathway in high grade serous ovarian cancer with ATR inhibitors New treatments are needed for recurrent ovarian cancer, a subset of which is more aggressive than the original cancer and has no effective treatment. Aggressive recurrent cancers rely on DNA repair pathways, involving proteins […]
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Yasuto Kinose, M.D., Ph.D.University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States2018 SKACEL FAMILY SCHOLAR Project: Evaluation of a novel combination therapy in clear cell ovarian cancer orthotopic patient-derived xenograft models Research Area: Novel Therapy, Cancer Biology Summary:While clear cell ovarian cancer is a relatively rare subtype of ovarian cancer, it is also the most difficult to treat in advanced […]
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Erin George, MDUniversity of Pennsylvania2019 Lynda’s Fund Scholar Award Strategies to optimize drug tolerability without compromising efficacy Most women with ovarian cancer present with advanced stage disease. Large surgeries and toxic chemotherapies are the mainstay of treatment and, despite advances in medicine, most ovarian cancers return. Every tumor is unique in its biology, allowing for […]
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Sarah Beth Gitto, PhDUniversity of Pennsylvania2019 Scientific Scholar Award Priming the TME with anti-VEGF to enhance the efficacy of dual checkpoint inhibition in PARPi-resistant OC Recent studies have shown that the use of the PARP inhibitor olaparib increases survival of ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, most patients will become resistant to PARP inhibitors, thus novel treatment strategies […]
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Daniel Powell, PhDUniversity of Pennsylvania Preclinical Evaluation of Costimulated CIR Therapy for Ovarian Cancer Adoptive immunotherapy is extremely effective for triggering tumor regression in patients with malignant melanoma. To develop adoptive T-cell therapy for epithelial ovarian cancer, we have created a chimeric immune receptor (CIR) that redirects the immune system against alpha-folate receptor, a protein […]
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Lin Zhang, MDUniversity of Pennsylvania Reconstruction of the Heterochronic Pathway for Ovarian Cancer Treatment The heterochronic pathway orchestrates the timing of cell divisions and fates during development. Its core elements, LIN28 and the microRNA let-7, form bistable switches via a double-negative regulatory loop. Dr. Zhang has previously reported that let-7 is downregulated in epithelial ovarian […]
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Andrea Facciabene, PhDUniversity of Pennsylvania Tumor development influences gut flora – possible implication in early detection Early detection of ovarian cancer represents the best hope for mortality reduction and long-term disease control. Dr. Facciabene’s preliminary data indicate that developing ovarian cancer induces change in the microorganisms found in the gut, also known as the gut […]
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