Laboratory Research
Specialized Program of Research Excellence
In 2004, the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Unit received a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute. The mission of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer (DF/HCC) Ovarian Cancer SPORE is to address the full range of prevention, early detection, and treatment of ovarian cancer through various projects. Project 1 seeks to clarify the relationship between several modifiable exposures and risk for ovarian cancer by jointly analyzing data from the Nurses Health Study and a large case-control study based in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Project 2 aims at identifying the earliest genetic changes in ovarian cancer by molecular studies of early cancers and precursor lesions in order to discover pathways that might lead to early detection or treatment. Project 3 will search for new ovarian cancer biomarkers in blood and urine of women at high risk for ovarian cancer who are having their tubes and ovaries removed. Many of these women will be discovered to have early cancers in the ovary or fallopian tube. Project 4 is designed to identify genes or pathways that are related to mechanisms of resistance to two drugs used in the therapy for ovarian cancer, Taxol and Carboplatin. Chemotherapy resistance is the cause of recurrence for the disease. Also aimed at improving survival, Project 5 proposes vaccine trial to use the patient's own immune system to fight the tumor and improve survival. Further information about the SPORE is available at the DF/HCC Web site.
Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors
To identify new risk factors for ovarian cancer has been a long-term effort of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Unit. Through its New England-Based Case Control study, we interview women recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer as well as healthy women throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire in hopes of discovering environmental or hormonal factors related to the disease. The study has epidemiologic data and blood specimens from over 1,700 women without ovarian cancer and 1,700 women with ovarian cancer. Recently, we identified several new exposures for ovarian cancer, like prior intra-uterine device use or breast infection, that may reduce the risk for ovarian cancer by leading to antibodies against an important protein called human mucin 1 in the same family as CA 125, a well-known marker for ovarian cancer.
Researching New Ovarian Cancer biomarkers
The Early Detection Cancer Research Network (EDRN) of the National Institute of Health has designated the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Unit as one of the clinical epidemiologic sites responsible for developing and testing new biomarkers for ovarian cancer. The mission of this project is to encourage the movement of the most informative biomarkers for ovarian (and other female) cancers into clinical practice by using our collective expertise in epidemiology, clinical oncology, biostatistics, and clinical biochemistry for early detection of ovarian cancer. This study will provide epidemiologic/ biologic data on normal, high risk or ovarian cancer populations and pursue new approaches to the identification of markers for ovarian cancer in blood and urine. More information about the EDRN is available at their Web site.
Biomarkers and Targeted Therapeutic Development in Ovarian Cancer
This is the combination of several projects with an ultimate goal of identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer. We adopt high-throughput membrane-specific transcriptional and proteomic profiling strategies to screen the secreted and membrane proteomes. Preliminary studies have identified several potential markers that include proteases and protease inhibitors, metabolic regulators, adhesion molecules, and apoptotic regulators. We are currently characterizing these markers, interrogating the enzymatic profiles, and exploring the possibilities of downstream applications such as targeted therapeutic development for ovarian cancer.
DNA topoisomerase III in gametogenesis
This project explores the potential of DNA topoisomerase III and other interacting proteins in germ cells development.
