2026-2027 Team Science Grantees: Kathleen H. Burns, M.D., Ph.D & Thomas R. Pisanic II, PhD
About Project
Leveraging Epigenetic Changes in Ovarian Cancer Precursors for Early Detection and Interception
PROJECT SUMMARY
Ovarian cancer is often deadly because it is diagnosed too late, when treatment is less effective. Detecting the disease earlier – during its clinically ‘silent phase’ – and intervening then could save lives. Scientists have learned that high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, the most common and aggressive type, often begins in the fallopian tubes. In these early stages, a subset of repetitive sequences in our DNA, LINE-1 (L1) elements, become activated, making abnormal proteins and creating stressors that precancerous cells adapt to as tumors evolve. This project will explore how those changes can be used to detect ovarian cancer early and ways to stop it before it becomes life-threatening. New technologies will be used to pinpoint which L1 sites are ‘switched on’. This knowledge will enable the development of blood tests to detect warning signs of ovarian cancer while the disease is still in early stages. The team will also predict unique proteins made when L1 becomes active that could be used to create vaccines to teach the immune system to destroy early cancers. In another part of the study, the team will use a new model of ovarian cancer precursors to find unique susceptibilities in these cells – biology critical for their survival and that could be targeted with drugs to eliminate cancers before they fully develop. This multipronged approach will be made possible by a team of experts who have pioneered this area of research. Their discoveries hold promise to shift the field from a focus on late-stage treatment to early-stage intervention.
