Vital funding for ovarian cancer research

 Threegenerationspr
27 Jan 2014 14:59:51.043

PA 26/14

The University of Nottingham is to lead a research project looking at developing new drugs to target both drug resistant and BRCA 1 and 2 gene mutation ovarian cancer.

The research, funded by the national charity, Target Ovarian Cancer, is part of a high profile collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, USA, and the University of Newcastle. Such drugs could have the potential to help save countless lives. 

The project is led by Dr Srinivasan Madhusudan in the School of Medicine. He said: “Resistance to chemotherapy is a major problem in ovarian cancer. This research will allow the investigation of FEN1, a key DNA repair protein, for the first time in ovarian cancer. If successful the project will have the potential to benefit very many ovarian cancer patients who suffer from platinum resistance. If we are able to demonstrate that FEN1 inhibitors can overcome platinum resistance and can also selectively target BRCA deficient ovarian cancer cell lines, we may be able to develop a new treatment strategy for ovarian cancer. This has the potential to improve survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.”

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Translating research into new treatments

Seven thousand women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in the UK, and 4,300 women lose their lives to the disease. With no new, life-extending drugs approved for ovarian cancer in over 20 years, Target Ovarian Cancer is committed to funding high quality research and to ensuring that the translation of promising research into new treatments is not hindered by poor participation and unequal access to clinical trials.

Annwen Jones, Target Ovarian Cancer’s Chief Executive said: “We are optimistic that Dr Madhusudan’s research project will help advance the understanding of drug resistant and BRCA1 and 2 gene mutation ovarian cancers. We’re committed to supporting the development of much needed new treatments, and believe that Dr Madhusudan’s project has real potential to be of significant benefit to women with ovarian cancer and look forward to seeing how it develops.”

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university among graduate employers, the world’s greenest university, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World's Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…


Story credits

More information is available from Dr Srinivasan Madhusudan on +44 (0)115 823 1850, Srinivasan.madhusudan@nottingham.ac.uk; or Sharon Harriott at Target Ovarian Cancer on +44 (0)20 7923 5476, sharriott@targetovarian.org.uk
Lindsay Brooke

Lindsay Brooke - Media Relations Manager

Email: lindsay.brooke@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 951 5751 Location: University Park

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