Livnat Jerby, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University and a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Early Career Investigator Grant. Through her OCRA-funded project, she is utilizing cutting-edge technologies to gain new insights into the specific mechanisms that allow ovarian cancer to escape the immune system. She aims to pave the way to … Continued
Dr. Jasmine Plummer of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (formerly of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Early Career Investigator Grant. Her OCRA-funded project is focused on better understanding how genetic mutations trigger cancer development. The goal of her research is to find early biomarkers of ovarian cancer and also identify drugs to effectively … Continued
Dr. Maria Victoria Botuyan of Mayo Clinic Rochester is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Early Career Investigator Grant. Her OCRA-funded research is focused on studying how several proteins function together in regulating the repair of DNA, with the aim of using this knowledge to help develop better ovarian cancer therapies over the long term. What … Continued
Dr. Benjamin Bitler of the University of Colorado is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Collaborative Research Development Grant. His OCRA-funded project, which is expanding on findings from the Ovarian Cancer Research Group at the University of Colorado, aims to harness cutting-edge molecular profiling and advanced computational analysis in order to predict ovarian cancer recurrence and provide … Continued
Dr. Chi Lam Au Yeung of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Early Career Investigator Grant. Her OCRA-funded project is focused on studying molecules produced by ovarian cancer cells in order to gain new insights into the interrelationship between different cell types in the progression of this … Continued
Dr. Melica Brodeur, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “Exploiting SMARCA4 Alterations for New Therapeutics in Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Brodeur is investigating a genetic mutation, found in more than half of ovarian cancers, that is associated with relatively high presence of active immune … Continued
Dr. Amrita Salvi, of University of Illinois at Chicago, is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “Investigating the Mechanism of Action of PHY34 in HGSOC,” Dr. Salvi is exploring the potential of a synthetic molecule called PHY34, which has been shown to reduce ovarian tumor growth in mice models, for … Continued
Dr. Zelei Yang, of Dana Farber Cancer Institute, is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “Re-engaging the Anti-tumor Immune Response Against Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Yang is investigating a potential new immune therapy for ovarian cancer, by focusing on BRD1 protein inhibitors that hold potential to trigger a person’s immune system … Continued
Dr. Gamze Bildik Elcik, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at MD Anderson Cancer Center, is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “DIRAS3 Inhibits KRAS and Sensitizes LGSOC Cells to Anti-autophagic Therapy,” Dr. Bildik Elcik aims to address the issue of chemotherapy resistance in a large subset of … Continued
Dr. Erin Wesley, of University of Minnesota Twin Cities, is a 2022 recipient of OCRA’s Mentored Investigator Grant. With her project, “Impact of Cytomegalovirus and Inflammation on NK Cells in Ovarian Cancer,” Dr. Wesley is working to better understand why a group of patients who were previously infected with a particular virus and had low … Continued
Ie-Ming Shih, MD, PhD is on a quest to better understand the human condition. He is a pathologist who studies human tissue to learn more about the origins of ovarian cancer; a Distinguished Professor (Endowed Chair) of Gynecologic Pathology who directs that research program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; the co-director of … Continued
Dr. Sandra Cascio of Magee-Womens Research Institute is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Early Career Investigative Grant. With her project, “EGFL6 as a New Regulator of Myeloid Cell Expansion and Function in HGSOC,” Dr. Cascio seeks to better understand ovarian tumors’ microenvironments and, ultimately, to overcome ovarian cancer resistance to immunotherapy, opening up a new … Continued
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