News

Letter to President Biden & Leaders of State Public Health Departments: Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccines for Patients With Cancer and Survivors of Cancer

February 17, 2021

February 16, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: On behalf of a broad spectrum of organizations, cancer centers, and other institutions that represent laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; other health care professionals; millions of patients with cancer; and patient advocates, we are writing today to … Continued

Xueyang Yu, PhD., Ovarian Cancer Researcher | Meet a Scientist

February 9, 2021

Dr. Xueyang Yu, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann and Sol Mentored Investigator Award. Her project, “Macrophage Control of the Microenvironment Drives HGSOC Progression,” explores how tumor microenvironments influence disease progression for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, the most common type of ovarian cancer. What initially sparked your interest in … Continued

The Overview: February 2021

February 3, 2021

We have great hope for the year ahead, and much of that is buoyed by what we accomplished, with your help, in 2020. A quick look back at the numbers… Thank you for everything you have done to make this happen. We hope you enjoy reading about what lies ahead. RESEARCH ADVOCACY PATIENT SUPPORT & … Continued

#23forHope Challenge

February 2, 2021

Every 23 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States. We need your help in raising awareness of this disease, and in raising critical funds for lifesaving research. Join us in the ‘23 for Hope’ Challenge: do 23 minutes of fitness (whatever you choose!), pledge $23 in support, and then challenge … Continued

OCRA Awards Millions in New Ovarian Cancer Research Grants

January 27, 2021

Despite the challenges of fundraising during a global pandemic, your generous support allowed us to fund 16 top scientists at 14 esteemed medical centers across the globe. They will investigate important issues across the ovarian cancer landscape in this coming year. These grants enable the brightest minds in cancer research to tackle long-standing issues like … Continued

A New Year, and More Advocate Leaders Than Ever Before

January 14, 2021

Registration closes on December 17, 2021. Together, we made great strides in 2020 on Capitol Hill, and we are excited to announce that we now have more OCRA Advocate Leaders than ever before speaking up for the ovarian cancer community. With more than 120 individuals selected—including 53 returning participants—our Advocate Leader program has more than … Continued

OCRA-Funded Research Provides a New Understanding of Ovarian Cancer Biology

January 14, 2021

OCRA-funded researcher Anil K. Sood, M.D., lead and senior author, and Sanghoon Lee, Ph.D., first author, both at MD Anderson Cancer Center, along with colleagues, identified potential biomarkers in subgroups of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC). Biomarkers are unique biological indicators of an event, or the presence of a substance in the body. Biomarkers are useful … Continued

OCRA-Funded Research Discoveries in 2020

OCRA-Funded Research Discoveries in 2020

December 17, 2020

It’s hard to believe 2020 is almost over, and what a year it’s been.  Despite the challenges wrought by the pandemic, we’re grateful to report that thanks to your support, OCRA grantees made great strides in ovarian cancer discoveries, bringing us ever closer to improving care and defeating this devastating disease: Revealed two cells of origin for high-grade serous ovarian cancer — … Continued

The Overview: December 2020

December 15, 2020

We’re probably all ready to say goodbye to 2020, if we have to be honest with ourselves. And yet, we can’t look back and say that the year was entirely bad. With your support, OCRA actually accomplished quite a lot and we have much for which to feel hopeful. RESEARCH ADVOCACY PATIENT SUPPORT & PROGRAMS WAYS TO GIVE … Continued

OCRA Research Investigates Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Research

December 14, 2020

OCRA-funded researchers Dr. Sunila Pradeep and Dr. Pradeep Chaluvally-Raghavan, both at the Medical College of Wisconsin, along with colleagues, summarized recent literature on the function of extracellular vesicles “in regulating the critical processes associated with cancer progression.” Their review, published in the journal Cancers, also provides insights on how these vesicles are used as biomarkers … Continued

Applying Computational Biology to Ovarian Cancer | Meet a Scientist

December 9, 2020

Could the next ovarian cancer breakthrough be traced back to a Commodore 64 home computer? After all, in some small measure, OCRA grantee Dr. Sohrab Shah is where he is today thanks to that now-antiquated instrument. He was 11 or 12 years old, tinkering around with programming at home, when he became captivated with what … Continued

OCRA-Funded Scientists Further Study Gene Mutation Connected to Ovarian Cancer

November 19, 2020

An international collaborative of scientists, including Dr. Ronald Chandler at Michigan State University, studied ARID1A mutations, which are specific gene mutations observed in deep ovarian and deep infiltrating endometriosis. The authors of the study noted that seeing a high frequency of these mutations in deep ovarian endometriosis supports evidence linking this to endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. … Continued