Ana Maria Isac, PhD

2025 Mentored Investigator Grant

Northwestern University

Project Summary
Ovarian cancer (OC) often spreads to the omentum, where fat supports tumor growth. Chemoresistant OC displays increased uptake and use of fatty acids. Our research shows that a high-saturated-fat diet contributed to increased peritoneal dissemination of OC tumors. We identified the CD74 receptor to be highly upregulated in these tumors. CD74 knock-down rendered OC cells more sensitive to chemotherapy and inhibited lipid uptake. We propose that CD74 facilitates the crosstalk between OC cells and the metastatic niche in a high-fat environment. This study aims to explore the role of CD74 in OC progression, leading to new treatments targeting this receptor.

This grant was made possible in part by a generous donation from The Donald R. and Esther Simon Foundation.

Bio
Dr. Ana Maria Isac is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Daniela Matei within the Robert H Lurie Medical Research Center of Northwestern University.
Ana Maria received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and her Master’s degree in Cancer Biology from the University of Essex, in the UK. During her studies, she developed a strong passion for cancer research, which led her to pursue a PhD at the same university. Her multidisciplinary thesis investigated the relationship between the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and the androgen receptor. The goal of her research was to identify novel strategies to manipulate this pathway and promote tumor cell death. After completing her PhD, Ana Maria relocated to the United States to join the laboratory of Dr. Daniela Matei. Here, her current work focuses on studying the importance of lipid metabolism in ovarian cancer metastasis and chemotherapy resistance.

Supported by Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, her work will explore the role of the CD74 receptor as a critical mediator of the interaction between the high-fat tumor environment and ovarian cancer cells during metastasis. This research aims to explore therapeutic strategies, including antibodies targeting CD74, to prevent cancer progression.