2015 Early Career Investigator Grant Recipient — Sarah Walker, PhD
Project Summary
Ovarian cancer remains a deadly disease for countless women, and therefore, new treatment strategies are needed. To approach this problem, we have focused on identifying the molecular abnormalities in an ovarian cancer cell that underlie its malignant behavior. We have found that three proteins that control gene expression in a cell– STAT3, Myc, and BCL6– are commonly inappropriately active in ovarian cancer. Consequently, these proteins drive the continual expression of genes that promote the growth, survival, and spread of these cells. While often studied on their own, in preliminary studies, we have begun to map out how these proteins interact and cooperate with each other in ovarian cancer. In this application, we propose to define the key molecular interactions between these proteins in ovarian cancer cells, and make use of specific drugs we have developed to target them therapeutically. The goal of this proposal is to better understand how these three proteins work together to promote ovarian cancer, and to identify rational combinations of drugs to form the foundation for more effective and less toxic treatments for women with this disease.