Determining the best treatment approach for each woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer can be complex – tumours have different features that make them more, or less, responsive to treatment, sometimes the patient’s quality of life can be negatively impacted by treatment. When patients with ovarian cancer experience a recurrence or if they have a rare subtype of the disease these challenges can be even more present. The best possible treatment for ovarian cancer would be to be able to prevent the disease from coming back and be able to work with current treatments. At Ovarian Cancer Canada, we believe that this type of treatment is possible.

That’s why Ovarian Cancer Canada is investing $725,000 to enable powerful natural killer cell immunotherapy that Dr. Boudreau has been developing for many years to become “clinical trial-ready”.

“Dr. Boudreau’s research has already shown that natural killer (NK) cells are associated with longer survival in patients with cancer,” said Tania Vrionis, CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada, the only national health charity dedicated to eradicating ovarian cancer. “Now, thanks to the support of The River Philip Foundation and our community across Canada, we can uncover how Canadians diagnosed with ovarian cancer can benefit from this new treatment.”

WHAT IS OVARIAN CANCER CANADA FUNDING MAKING POSSIBLE?

• understand how the unique features of a patient’s tumours can be studied to select the right NK cell donor, potentially creating a customizable ‘mix-and-match’ therapy that precisely treats each patient.
• Develop an AI-powered program that creates a “digital twin” of a patient’s ovarian cancer tumour to evaluate how effective current therapies, and potential NK cell immunotherapies, could be helping clinicians and patients determine best possible treatment course considering each patient’s unique circumstances.
• Enable Atlantic Canada to become the national center for clinical trials-grade NK cell therapy production, making immunotherapies less expensive and more accessible to Canadians.

“Ovarian cancer remains one of the most fatal and complex cancers, with historically insufficient research funding compared to cancers with higher rates of survival,” said Dr. Jeanette Boudreau, Departments of Microbiology & Immunology and Pathology, Dalhousie University, and lead researcher on the project. “This investment from Ovarian Cancer Canada will accelerate our development of immune-based, NK cell–driven therapies and help us build the infrastructure needed to make these powerful treatments more affordable and accessible to women.”

Fear of ovarian cancer coming back haunts the people diagnosed with it. This research has the power to help doctors and patients better plan for a recurrence and prevent their recurrence entirely. “After decades without meaningful change, we have an opportunity to not just give women facing ovarian cancer hope; we can give them hope that is achievable,” says Dr. Boudreau.

WHAT IS NATURAL KILLER CELL IMMUNOTHERAPY?

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are an untapped opportunity in immunotherapy because they can help the immune system monitor the body for abnormal cells, like tumour cells and directly kill tumour cells.

There are many features of NK cell immunotherapy that make it a powerful option for ovarian cancer treatment.

• NK cell immunotherapy can avoid the dangerous side effects of stem cell transplants, like graft-vs-host disease, which is when the recipient’s body rejects donor cells.
• NK cell immunotherapy can work with existing treatments like chemotherapy and radiation offering doctors and patients more options when creating a treatment plan.
• NK cells can be mass produced just like blood is for transfusions. This means that NK cell immunotherapy could be turned into an “off-the-shelf” treatment making it more affordable and accessible to Canadians.

Immunotherapies are usually an expensive treatment. By investing in this research, Ovarian Cancer Canada is helping build the infrastructure to make Atlantic Canada the center for clinical trials-grade NK cell therapy production; this is necessary for making this powerful new class of immunotherapy affordable and accessible to Canadians.

MADE POSSIBLE BY YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you to The River Philip Foundation and each of our donors for making this life-changing research possible. Because of you, not only do breakthroughs start here, they continue here.