New research shows potential to impact survival
March 25, 2015
In the news recently, research out of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph shows potential to shrink ovarian tumours while improving drug delivery.
Dr. Jim Petrik
“Our hope is that this work will lead to new treatments for women diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer,” says Dr. Jim Petrik, a researcher involved in the study. “This body of work shows potential to improve our ability to treat advanced stage ovarian cancer while reducing side effects of treatment.”
Given that most cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in late stages, Dr. Petrik’s lab focuses on advanced stage disease.
A novel approach to treatment
Treatment for ovarian cancer can fail if cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy. This is a function of ineffective drug delivery, which depends on the quality of blood supply to the tumour.
Dr. Petrik and his team combined 3TSR, a portion of a naturally occurring protein (thrombospondin-1 or TSP-1), with another protein (CD36). The resulting interaction caused destruction of cells tumors need to create new blood vessels. Healthy blood vessels were left behind, enabling better circulation that can be harnessed for improved drug uptake.
Researchers were able to use lower doses of chemo to excellent clinical effect. In laboratory testing, pre-treatment with the combined protein in conjunction with low-dose chemotherapy resulted in smaller tumors that had improved blood supply. This led to significant tumor regression, making way for greater survival rates.
Research funding from Ovarian Cancer Canada
Ovarian Cancer Canada is proud to be one of four funders of Dr. Petrik’s work. This partnership stemmed from an application for support that he had initially submitted to the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). While the research proposal ranked highly, due to resources it could not be funded through the agency.
Working with CIHR to support this competition, Ovarian Cancer Canada provides one year of funding for the highest ranking but underfunded ovarian cancer project.
In 2010/2011, Dr. Petrik’s submission was the one that made the grade.
“The funding from Ovarian Cancer Canada came at a pivotal time for our lab,” recalls Dr. Petrik. “We were at a breaking point in this research. This discovery would not have been possible had it not been for Ovarian Cancer Canada.”
Bringing hope to the community
This research brings new hope to women and families living with ovarian cancer. It carries potential for targeted therapies that could improve treatment and survival rates. What’s more, since the research helps to optimize drug delivery, smaller doses of chemo are needed and side effects stand to be drastically reduced.
To date, the scientific community has received these findings with great enthusiasm. A related collaboration has Dr. Petrik working with Harvard researchers to increase the half-life of drugs in the bloodstream. If successful, this could reduce the frequency with which drugs are administered and increase the potency of their effect.
Next steps
Further experiments are needed to move this research into phase I trials. Dr. Petrik anticipates that this will be possible in the next year or two.
To read more about research grants provided by Ovarian Cancer Canada, click here.
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