OCRF has awarded $5.4 million in grants for ovarian cancer research this year. After receiving over 100 applications – the highest number in its history – OCRF and its prestigious Scientific Advisory Committee endeavored first and foremost to fund the best science. The Committee evaluated each proposal through intensive peer review, and selected a sound portfolio of 2012 grants that represent the present and future of ovarian cancer research.
These exciting grants address two important themes in the field: understanding how and where ovarian cancer originates at the molecular genetic and tissue levels; and developing novel, creative approaches to improving therapy for ovarian cancer.
“This research is a recognition that ovarian cancer should not be treated similarly in all cases. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, developing therapies designed to target individual tumors is vital,” says Jeff Boyd, Ph.D., chair of OCRF’s Scientific Advisory Committee and a senior vice president at Fox Chase Cancer Center. “And as we gain a better understanding of the origins of this extraordinarily complex disease, this may inspire a rebirth and a new wave of research into much-needed screening and early detection methods.”
OCRF’s 2012 grants, which range from $75,000 to $900,000, were awarded to 14 scientists. These grantees are conducting groundbreaking research at 12 leading medical institutions in the United States, including Baylor College of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
From collaborative teams of the most experienced senior investigators awarded the Program Project Development Grant, to the Liz Tilberis Scholars Program which supports junior faculty with a strong commitment to the field, to promising young postdoctoral and clinical fellows awarded the Ann Schreiber Ovarian Cancer Research Training Program of Excellence Grants at the beginning of their research careers, OCRF grantees are the brightest men and women in the field today.
“OCRF is dedicated to advancing the field of ovarian cancer research. We are funding cutting-edge science, pushing its boundaries to improve screening methods, treatments and outcomes, and bringing hope to the thousands of women facing ovarian cancer each year, “ says Audra Moran, CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. “With every new grant we award, we strengthen our deeply held belief that research is the key to finding a cure for this devastating disease.”
- George Coukos, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
- Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD, University of Chicago
- Martin Matzuk, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
Liz Tilberis Scholars
- Karen Cowden Dahl, PhD, Indiana University
- Daniela Dinulescu, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Ivan Garcia-Bassets, PhD, University of California, San Diego
- Shannon Hawkins, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- W. Ruprecht Wiedemeyer, PhD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Ann Schreiber Program of Excellence grantees
