As the leading ovarian cancer organization in the world, we recognize that our goal of curing this disease requires stakeholder collaboration on all fronts to ensure the expedient development of safe and beneficial therapies. In support of our mission, we engage in collaborations with partners in the pharmaceutical, biomedical and diagnostic industries to advance the science, enhance clinical research and ensure patient-centric development of effective treatments and diagnostic methods.
First convened in January 2021, the Industry Council prioritizes topics of interest to all stakeholders in the field, facilitates the sharing of insights and ideas, and advances cross-sector engagement. The Council is comprised of patients, advocates, clinicians, investigators, federal regulators and industry — all collaborating to identify tangible action steps.
Through the work of the Council, members collaborate to address community challenges and accomplish mutually beneficial goals with OCRA leadership, clinical experts and prominent scientists. The Council addresses specific issues; from lessons learned, to challenges, to potential solutions and concrete action steps — with the overarching goal of improving outcomes for the ovarian cancer community, and ultimately, to find a cure.
Previous Ovarian Cancer Industry Council meeting topics and goals:
- January 2024: Policy Landscape for Gynecologic Cancers: Advancing Innovation and Patient Access
On January 31, 2024, OCRA convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 50 ovarian and gynecological cancer stakeholders to engage on the policy landscape for gynecologic cancers, with a lens on impending reform and its potential impact on clinical innovation and patient access to therapies. For this session, OCRA sought input from expert speakers and colleagues from the Industry Council regarding the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its potential impact on patient access to innovative new therapies. This meeting featured speakers from The Haystack Project, Merck and AstraZeneca.
- October 2023: Opportunities for Use of Innovative Trial Design and Use of Real World Data in Gynecologic Cancers
On October 19, 2023, OCRA convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 45 ovarian cancer stakeholders, providing a forum to discuss initiatives in innovative platform trials and streamlined clinical trial design. Friends of Cancer Research presented their work on Lung-MAP, a first-of-its-kind model with multiple arms to match patients with clinical studies based on their unique tumor profiles. FDA presented on Project Pragmatica, which promotes the use of pragmatic trial design to streamline and increase access to clinical trials. The meeting featured robust discussion about the impact of these projects on cancer therapy development among members of OCRA’s scientific leadership, industry partners, and regulatory officials. The goal of the meeting was to facilitate open dialogue about initiatives to streamline and re-think clinical trial design for the gynecologic cancer community.
- July 2023: Scientific Meeting Highlights — Progress and Opportunities for Gynecologic Cancers
On July 25, 2023, OCRA convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 55 ovarian and gynecologic cancer stakeholders providing a forum for roundtable conversation about current industry-sponsored activities in the space, and programs designed to advance the field. The meeting featured robust discussion about the impact of these projects on ovarian cancer therapy development among members of OCRA’s scientific leadership and members of the Industry Council. Dr. Sarah Adams and Dr. Amanda Nickles-Fader also provided an overview of the SGO BRIDGES program, which aims to bridge the gap between different practice types, integrate translational research into clinical trials, and prioritize study designs that increase access to clinical trials and overcome disparities in participation.
- April 2023: Transformation in Clinical Trial Design — Earlier Access in Advanced Settings and External Controls
On April 20, 2023, OCRA convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 40 ovarian cancer stakeholders, providing a forum to discuss a recent FDA initiative relating to accelerated approval of novel therapies and FDA draft Guidance relating to the use of external control data in clinical trials. The meeting featured robust discussion about the impact of these projects on ovarian cancer therapy development among members of OCRA’s scientific leadership, members of the Industry Council, and regulatory officials. The goal of the meeting was to facilitate open dialogue about initiatives to transform clinical trial design, in particular the potential for therapy access in an earlier clinical setting for advanced or metastatic cancer.
- January 2023: Meet OCRA’s Scientific Advisory Committee
On January 27, 2023, OCRA convened its scientific leadership and approximately 40 stakeholders across the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic industries for a robust discussion, with the goal of increasing collaboration. Dr. Beth Y. Karlan, Dr. Kunle Odunsi and Dr. Anil K. Sood shared some of the unmet needs in ovarian cancer therapy development, and how increased collaboration with industry can address some of these needs. Dr. Ronald Alvarez shared an overview of OCRA’s research grants, highlighting the promising and innovative science in the pipeline. Attendees also had the opportunity to share personal and professional perspectives on gynecologic oncology, from what inspired them to work in the field to internal challenges within their respective companies. The meeting helped spur partnerships between expert clinicians and industry leaders to collaboratively address challenges in patient-centric therapy development.
- November 2022: Innovations in Clinical Trials — How Do We Get Further Faster?
On November 8, 2022, OCRA convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 50 ovarian cancer stakeholders to discuss innovation in clinical trials and ways to accelerate development and accessibility. We welcomed speakers from Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR) to discuss collaborations and their work in adaptive platform trials in oncology. BioAtla provided an industry perspective on the role of innovation in ovarian cancer clinical trials, emphasizing the importance of strong relationships between the sponsors, investigators, and patients to advance innovative trials that can move the needle in patient outcomes.
- July 2022: Patient Perspectives and Dose Optimization
On July 13, 2022, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) convened an Industry Council discussion among approximately 30 ovarian cancer stakeholders about dosing, safety, and tolerability aspects of therapies for ovarian cancer, with a specific focus on perspectives of ovarian cancer patients. Dr. Vishal Bhatnagar, FDA OCE, described efforts at FDA to capture and disseminate patient-generated information about the patient experience with oncology drugs in development through Project Patient Voice). Dr. Mirat Shah, FDA OCE, described Project Optimus, an initiative to reform the dose optimization and dose selection paradigm in oncology drug development.
- March 2022: Biobank/ Data Sharing Discussion
Engaged approximately 30 ovarian cancer stakeholders focused on the potential to advance a biobank/ data commons project for ovarian cancer in the U.S. Stakeholders from global academic institutions, government regulatory bodies, the pharmaceutical industry and patient advocates provided input to OCRA about the need and potential structure for an ovarian cancer biobank or biospecimen/ data-sharing mechanism to facilitate research collaborations and advance development of new therapies.
- October 2021: Lessons Learned, Challenges, and Opportunities for Advancing Precision Medicine in Ovarian Cancer
Evaluated opportunities and discuss challenges in precision medicine and biomarker development for ovarian cancer. Discussed lessons learned and current gaps to be addressed in research and clinical trials specific to biomarkers, including assay development, clinical trial design, and regulatory processes.
- April 2021, May 2021: Collaborating to Enhance Accrual and Expand Diversity for Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trials
Evaluated barriers to ovarian cancer clinical trial accrual and diversity within ovarian cancer clinical trials. Identified multi-stakeholder solutions to enhance accrual and expand diversity in ovarian cancer clinical trials.
- August 2020: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Ovarian Cancer Community
Presented findings of a patient survey on barriers to care, conducted by OCRA. Evaluated access issues and solutions in reducing barriers to care.
To learn more about how OCRA collaborates with industry partners, please view our Conflict of Interest Statement below.
Founding Members
Members
Conflict of Interest Statement — Industry Partners
- Corporate partners including industry do not shape OCRA’s agenda, research or advocacy.
- In 2022, industry partners represented 6% of OCRA’s overall revenue.
- No industry personnel serve on OCRA’s governing board (Board of Directors).
- If an industry partner sponsors an OCRA program, grant or educational materials, it is publicly acknowledged and the supporting company has no editorial or strategic input.
- Any reference to a specific commercial product or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by OCRA of the product or service or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document or on any referenced website do not necessarily reflect those of OCRA.
Read OCRA’s full Conflict of Interest policy for Industry Partners.
