Ovarian Cancer Canada’s efforts to attract leading minds to the field of ovarian cancer research while providing necessary resources have grown Canada’s collaborative ovarian cancer research community.

Why Research with OCC

Diverse funding opportunities

Our research spans the ovarian cancer continuum; from discovery to survivorship, addressing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We're dedicated to studying social determinants of health, promoting equity, and securing funding for less common ovarian cancer types.

National platform

We convene a national, multidisciplinary, collaborative network of experts dedicated to ovarian cancer including clinicians, scientists, trainees, and patient partners, and provide diverse opportunities to share research findings and improve study recruitment.

Access to national scientific resources

We enable groundbreaking translational research on all types of ovarian cancer through investments in foundational resources such as the OCC Tissue Banking Network and OCC’s collection of high-fidelity research models.

Scientific resources

ENABLING TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH THROUGH THE OVARIAN CANCER CANADA TISSUE BANKING NETWORK

The Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC) Tissue Banking Network is a virtual network of biobanks which collect, store, and distribute biological samples (e.g., tumour tissue/cells, normal tissue/cells, blood) generously donated by individuals with ovarian cancer to enable ovarian cancer research in Canada and abroad.

OCC currently provides support to biobanks in five provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. In 2023, there were 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications on studies involving samples and/or data from the OCC Tissue Banking Network. These publications contribute to new knowledge in diverse areas such as genetic risk factors, rare ovarian cancers, omics, treatment resistance, prognostic factors, and novel treatment strategies.

Scientists interested in accessing human ovarian cancer biospecimens for their research are encouraged to contact the individual biobanks for more information.

BUILDING YOUR SCIENTIFIC TOOLBOX: OCC’S COLLECTION OF RESEARCH MODELS

Ovarian Cancer Canada is proud to make available to researchers the OvCAN Collection, which is a virtual collection of high-fidelity research models of ovarian cancer. The development and/or characterization of these models has been funded by OCC.

The purpose of the OvCAN Collection is to facilitate the creation and sharing of these gold standard models among the ovarian cancer research community, to enable and expedite high-quality research focused on improving ovarian cancer outcomes.

If you are interested in incorporating one of these models into your study, please contact the individual lab for more information.

Our Current Funds and Awards

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I was thrilled to learn that I won the Anita Unruh Prize. I am honoured by this recognition, and it will encourage me to continue doing my best to contribute to the ovarian cancer research community.

Qingchuan Zhao, 2022 Anita Unruh Prize recipient

OVARIAN CANCER CANADA APPLAUDS THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH

Canada’s ovarian cancer research community is pushing the boundaries of how research is conducted, and what is possible to achieve on an accelerated timeframe.

A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP OF $1.2M FOR OVARIAN CANCER TREATMENTS

Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC) and the Cancer Research Society (CRS) jointly announce the launch of the “Bridging the Gap for Ovarian Cancer Treatments Grants Competition”.

CLINICAL TRIAL: TARGETING THE TARGETS

Two funded clinical trials, though different in their approach and focus, share a dedication to exploring innovative treatment pathways and a made-in-Canada pedigree.