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
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
There is an 80% recurrence rate when it comes to ovarian cancer, so the question of ‘what next?’ takes on a huge importance. This is the question that Sarah Gitto, PhD, and her team in the Daniel J. Powell Lab at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ovarian Cancer Research Center, have set out to answer. They … Continued
For someone who has spent four decades blazing trails in ovarian cancer research and women’s healthcare, it might seem odd that the one word to sum up Dr. Jonathan Berek’s wide range of experiences and contributions would be ‘communication.’ But the conveying of information in empathetic, successful, understandable and compelling ways has been at the … Continued
Hui Shen, PhD, spoke of a particular moment that helped cement her commitment to ovarian cancer research. She was working on a complicated project that required a new genomics technology to work. So she and her team enlisted help from an expert. “This technologist made it all happen,” Hui explained. “We were jumping up and down with the … Continued
Duygu Ozmadenci, PhD, grew up in a small town on the Black Sea region of Turkey, across the waters from Chernobyl. As a teenager, she read a book that told stories of generations of people living in Anatolia and the land that eventually became Turkey. The depictions of the geography and flora, the description of … Continued
Scared. Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Befuddled. These are common words one might use to describe how we feel during this unprecedented time in history. But Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD, adds “fascinated” to the list as he ponders the psychological and sociological implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. “This small amount of genetic material that has spread through the … Continued
There are many adjectives one can use to describe ovarian cancer: relentless, cruel, a monster. But Dr. Sunila Pradeep also finds it ironic. “Women spend a lot of time and energy for the next generation. They are playing a major role in continuing life on earth. And then when many of them have fulfilled those … Continued
Cockroaches after a nuclear war. That is really the best way to understand what Dr. Ugo Cavallaro, a cell biologist and biochemist, is working on in his lab in Milan, Italy. He is trying to understand why an ovarian cancer tumor, which is successfully removed along with surrounding tissue, can manifest itself again. “This happens … Continued
She has swum in the Amazon, gone ice fishing in the Arctic, traveled the Galapagos, and hang-glided in New Zealand. But the biggest trail Dr. Beth Karlan has blazed throughout her life has been in the field of gynecologic oncology. Dr. Karlan is Professor and Vice Chair of Women’s Health Research in the Department of … Continued
Dr. Ron Buckanovich, an OCRA grantee, uses a metaphor to describe his work. “If I’m trying to get into Chicago and the highways that get me into the city are blocked off, no matter how important my job is, I’m not going to get there.” He’s talking about immunotherapy and the fact that the cells … Continued
What do the fur patterns of tigers have to do with advances in ovarian cancer treatment? Juan Cubillos-Ruiz, PhD, an OCRA grantee, grew up on a farm near Bogota, Colombia. He spent his younger years looking at the world around him, questioning everything. Why was corn white, yellow or purple? Why did foods vary in … Continued
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