Metabolic differences during metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancers

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a debilitating disease that has a 5-year survival rate of only 44%, making it the fifth most lethal cancer in women. A major reason for this low survival rate is the high rate of metastasis, where cells detach from the primary tumour site on the ovary and reattach at secondary locations to form additional tumours. When these cancer cells detach from the primary tumour on the ovary to metastasize, the individual cells clump together to form aggregates known as spheroids. Although the cells in these spheroids are not actively dividing, they are able to travel through the body and reattach at additional sites, where the cells again begin uncontrolled cancerous growth. Understanding the genetic pathways underlying spheroid formation and reattachment is key to metastasis prevention and development of new chemotherapies. My project aims to use a technique called metabolomics to identify potential biomarkers in EOC. This method looks at intermediate signalling molecules to predict pathway functions and will be used to investigate the mechanisms by which ovarian cancers are able to metastasize.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ilka Heinemann

Student:

Partner:

Technische Universitat Braunschweig

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program: