Utthara Nayar, PhD

Rivkin Pilot Grant

Johns Hopkins University
Estrogen Receptor Mutations As A Novel Biomarker For Response To Endocrine Therapy In Ovarian Cancer

Project Summary
Dr. Nayar is pursuing a fast track to the clinical testing of a new treatment for low-grade serous ovarian cancers (LGSOCs). Some LGSOCs develop mutations in the estrogen receptor (ER) molecule and stop responding to standard therapies. In breast cancer, tumors with ER mutations respond to a new class of anti-estrogen therapy called novel SERDs. Dr. Nayar will determine whether ER-mutated ovarian tumors respond to treatment with novel SERDs. Her findings can move rapidly to the clinic to begin clinical trials of novel SERDs in ovarian cancer. This research could revolutionize the treatment landscape for patients with LGSOC. Learn more about Dr. Nayar’s work on her faculty profile.

Bio
Utthara Nayar, PhD, is a cancer biologist, and currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). She holds a joint appointment in the Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Program in the JHU School of Medicine, and is also a member of the Breast and Gynecologic Malignancies Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at JHU. Prior to her current appointment, she was a Research Fellow in Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Dr. Nayar employs multi-omics technologies to investigate mechanisms of clinical resistance to targeted therapies in breast and ovarian cancer. Her group works at the intersection of basic and translational research, in close collaboration with physician-scientists, computational biologists, and patient advocates.