Ovarian Cancer Research Discoveries Made by OCRA Grantees in 2021
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.
- Discovered unique genetic switches associated with ovarian tumors, and identified 3 potential drug targets for aggressive ovarian cancers.
- Revealed how certain cells drive immunotherapy resistance, and show that targeting a signaling pathway in these cells improved tumor response to immunotherapy.
- Shed light on the importance of increased genetic testing and counseling especially in high risk Black women.
- Identified a specific enzyme known as UCHL1, which may aid in the development of future ovarian cancer therapies, as it points to the potential effectiveness of a targeted inhibitor in treating certain tumors.
- Discovered a potential “Achilles’ Heel” in ovarian cancer cells, and a new biomarker that may open up more avenues for targeted therapies.
- Revealed that the antibiotic novobiocin is capable of targeting and killing tumor cells in laboratory cell lines and tumor models with BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutations, and is effective even in tumors that have become resistant to PARP inhibitors.
- Found that a combination of CDK9 inhibition and PP2A activation enhance anti-cancer effects in preclinical models of both solid tumors and blood cancers, paving the way for potential new avenues of transcription-based anticancer therapy.
- Discovered a vulnerability in cancer cells that harbor ARIDA1A mutations, which points to potential new pathways of treatment for patients living with ovarian clear cell carcinoma.
- Identified potential biomarkers in subgroups of high-grade serous ovarian cancer, which will aid in the development of targeted therapies.
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 Medicine, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Cell Reports, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Molecular Cancer Research, Cell, Science Translational Medicine, Cancer Discovery and Nature.