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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Elda Righi, MDMassachusetts General Hospital Blockade of the CXCL12 and VEGF axes in ovarian cancer One of the reasons ovarian cancer progresses with few evident symptoms may be the combination of ways in which the cancer escapes the patient’s immune system and organizes a vascular supply to serve its own needs. CXCL12 and VEGF are […]
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Masafumi Toyoshima, MD, PhDFred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Identification of Targeted Therapies for MYC-Amplified Ovarian Cancer By Functional Genomics The main goal of Dr. Toyoshima’s research is to investigate whether MYC synthetic lethal genes can be therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer in women whose MYC gene is amplified. Using a siRNA screening strategy this study […]
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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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Ramandeep Rattan, PhDMayo Clinic TCEAL7, a novel regulator of NFkB-IL-6/STAT3 pathway in ovarian cancer The causes of ovarian cancer are not well understood because of the complexity and the lack of understanding of the various genetic alterations in the development of ovarian cancer and its progression to chemoresistant disease. Dr. Rattan’s study is poised to […]
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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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