A randomized trial recently showed that patients with an ovarian cancer recurrence who undergo cytoreductive surgery along with chemotherapy show better survival rates than those who only receive chemotherapy. More than 400 patients were randomized into two groups: 206 were assigned to cytoreductive debulking surgery and chemotherapy, and 201 only had chemotherapy. The median survival rate in … Continued
Dr. Anne van Harten, of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann and Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award. With her project, “Targeted MDM2 Degradation as a Novel Treatment for Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. van Harten is designing and testing a new compound to target a … Continued
OCRA grantees Ignacio Vázquez-García, PhD and Sohrab Shah, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, along with colleagues, have found that distinct mutational processes determine the different mechanisms by which certain ovarian cancer tumors are able to evade the immune system and continue to grow. These learnings may lead the way to future immunotherapeutic approaches that can more … Continued
Dr. Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, of UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann and Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award. With her project, “Spatially-Resolved Cellular and Transcriptome Analyses of Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Ferri-Borgogno is working to better understand ovarian cancer microenvironments, to find ways to better combat drug resistance. What initially sparked your … Continued
Dr. Arun Kanakkanthara, of Mayo Clinic, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Liz Tilberis Early Career Award. With his project, “Exploiting a Metabolic Dependency of PARPinhibitor-Resistant Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Kanakkanthara is investigating ways to overcome tumor resistance to PARP inhibitors, a critical issue in ovarian cancer treatment. What initially sparked your interest in science? Science … Continued
Dr. Wei Zhou, of The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann & Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award, mentored by Dr. Rugang Zhang. With his project, “Targeting the Mevalonate Pathway in ARID1A-Mutated Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Zhou is investigating ARID1A mutations, in search of better therapeutic options for patients with ovarian clear … Continued
We’re pleased to report that thanks to your support, OCRA grantees made breathtaking strides toward better understanding, preventing and treating ovarian cancer this year. Read about our OCRA Grantees’ discoveries in 2020 → The results of OCRA-supported research projects have been published in some of the world’s most prestigious journals, such as: Gynecologic Oncology, Lancet Oncology, New England Journal of … Continued
This time of year always has us reflecting on what we’ve accomplished, what we hope to achieve in the future, and how we — with the support of the entire ovarian cancer community — can lean in even harder to our commitment of being a voice for all those touched by the disease, and finding better treatments and a … Continued
An interdisciplinary group of researchers from around the country analyzed tumor samples from nearly 10,000 patients with 34 types of cancer to reveal unique genetic switches associated with each tumor type. The research, published in Science Advances and supported by multiple OCRA grants, turned up three potential drug targets for aggressive ovarian cancer, among other findings. Scientists … Continued
Dr. Liya Ding, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Liz Tilberis Early Career Award. With her project, “Targeting Therapeutic Resistance to PARP Inhibition in Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Ding is focusing on PARP inhibitors — some of the most effective drug therapies available for ovarian cancer, but that often come with a … Continued
In what could prove to be a game-changer for ovarian cancer debulking procedures, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cytalux (pafolacianine), an imaging drug designed to help doctors better locate and identify ovarian cancer lesions during surgery. The drug, which is administered via injection at the time of surgery, works by binding … Continued
Dr. Bojana Stefanovska, at University of Minnesota Twin Cities, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann and Sol Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award. Her project, “APOBEC3B and DNA Repair as Synthetic Lethal Combinations in CCOC,” explores DNA repair as a potential treatment avenue for clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC). What initially sparked your interest in science? … Continued
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