The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) is dedicated to funding the most innovative ovarian cancer research, with the potential to have the greatest impact on the greatest number of women and girls. Treatment options for ovarian cancer patients have seen little progress over the past 30 years, due to the complexity of ovarian cancers and the proportionally limited funding in the sector. However, an OCRF-funded project has recently achieved a significant milestone which could progress towards an entirely new approach to treating ovarian cancers and slowing metastasis.
Researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have published pre-clinical research findings on a novel drug therapy for ovarian cancer in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal.
Lead researcher and epigeneticist Associate Professor Jason Lee has been working on novel therapeutics for several cancer types for much of his career. This latest development in his research shows promising results for a new drug therapy which can inhibit specific proteins (G9a and EZH2) in model cancer cells. This will allow for a protein known as IL24 to stimulate tumour cell death.
Compared to normal cells, ovarian cancer cells have a higher level of G9a protein,” A/Prof Lee says, “This causes cancer cells to grow fast, move more and makes ovarian cancer cells more resistant to chemotherapy. If we inhibit the G9a function, cancer cells grow more slowly and are ultimately killed through a process called apoptosis – programmed cell death."
Associate Professor Jason Lee
In 2019, the OCRF awarded a grant of $187,000 to A/Prof Lee’s research, supporting the investigation into the role of the G9a protein in tumour cell growth. Aligned with the OCRF’s research strategy, this research has great potential to improve treatment effectiveness for those living with ovarian cancer, giving them a better chance of survival.
“The OCRF's research strategy identifies the most critical pillars of ovarian cancer research that will improve the outlook for women and girls," OCRF CEO Lucinda Nolan says. "The four pillars which the OCRF focuses its funding on are improved treatments, managing recurrence, early detection, and prevention and cure. The findings by Associate Professor Lee’s work are incredibly exciting as it is another breakthrough in ovarian cancer treatment which will drive improvements in survivability rates.”
If successful, this novel therapy could be used to treat multiple cancers, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer and melanoma.
Patients such as Annabel Dance know all too well how important it is to discover new and more effective therapies to treat ovarian cancer. Having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019, she has undergone 12 rounds of chemotherapy in total, 6 of those more recently as the cancer returned.
“Any sort of advances in treatment will hopefully improve the survival rate,” she said. “A lot of women can’t tolerate some of the different chemos that are available, the drugs just don’t work for them or they become resistant to treatment.”
As the leading non-government funder of ovarian cancer research in Australia, the OCRF is committed to ensuring that new treatments are developed for those living with the disease right now, as well as funding research into early detection and prevention methods for future generations.
Without the OCRF community backing our research strategy through donations, fundraising and philanthropic support, projects like A/Prof Lee’s may otherwise go unfunded.
Enhanced treatment options for ovarian cancer could save the lives of more than 680 Australian women and girls over a ten-year period, and a massive 110,000 women worldwide.
The OCRF team extends a warm congratulations to A/Prof Jason Lee and his team at QIMR Berghofer for reaching this exciting milestone.
Published research article via American Association for Cancer Research
“Combined Inhibition of G8a and EZH2 suppresses tumor growth via synergistic induction of IL24-mediated apoptosis”
Related media article via ABC News
“Queensland researchers reveal promising therapy that could treat the deadliest gynaecological cancer”