Emer Casey PhD Studentships Launched at TCD to Research Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer
Posted on: 12 June 2008
The Department of Histopathology at TCD’s School of Medicine officially announced the launch of the Emer Casey PhD Studentships to research Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer this week.
In 2007, under the direction of TCD’s Professor of Pathology, Professor John O’Leary, a multidisciplinary translational medicine consortium, DISCOVARY, was established. The consortium comprises researchers and clinicians from several Irish institutions dedicated to carrying out world-class research in the area of Ovarian and Endometrial cancer. Its central goal is to understand these cancers and to develop new methods for early detection and design novel treatment options.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in the western world. The majority of women with ovarian cancer (75%) present with advanced stage (Stage III/IV) disease and are treated by surgery and chemotherapy, but many women relapse becoming resistant to chemotherapy. Current standard treatment regimes for Ovarian cancer include surgery followed by systemic chemotherapy with platinum (cisplatin) and paclitaxel chemotherapeutic agents.
However, when Ovarian cancer is detected early, greater than 90% of patients are cured. “Currently no good biomarkers for early detection exist,” says Professor John O’Leary, “and novel and improved markers are required for more accurate diagnosis and to improve treatment outcomes of disease. In addition, new treatment modalities are required particularly in chemoresistant disease cases.”
The DISCOVARY consortium, have to date preliminary data which identifies novel markers for predicting chemoresistance in Ovarian cancer.
The Emer Casey Foundation was established in the honour and memory of a young woman, Emer Casey who tragically died, aged 28 from Ovarian/Endometrial cancer. In memory of Emer, the Foundation together with TCD’s Department of Histopathology over the next 5 years are funding Emer Casey PhD studentships. The awarded recipients will work with the DISCOVARY consortium in the areas of ovarian and endometrial cancer.
This research will focus on:
(a) Identifying and validating a panel of proteins that can be used as a serum screening-based early detection and response to treatment biomarker set for early and recurrent Ovarian cancer.
(b) Developing novel therapeutic approaches in cisplatin resistant Ovarian cancer patients.
Emer Casey PhD Studentships Launched at TCD to Research Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer
Posted on: 12 June 2008
The Department of Histopathology at TCD’s
In 2007, under the direction of TCD’s Professor of Pathology, Professor John O’Leary, a multidisciplinary translational medicine consortium, DISCOVARY, was established. The consortium comprises researchers and clinicians from several Irish institutions dedicated to carrying out world-class research in the area of Ovarian and Endometrial cancer. Its central goal is to understand these cancers and to develop new methods for early detection and design novel treatment options.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancy in the western world. The majority of women with ovarian cancer (75%) present with advanced stage disease and are treated by surgery and chemotherapy, but many women relapse becoming resistant to chemotherapy. Current standard treatment regimes for Ovarian cancer include surgery followed by systemic chemotherapy with platinum (cisplatin) and paclitaxel chemotherapeutic agents.
The DISCOVARY consortium, have to date preliminary data which identifies novel markers for predicting chemoresistance in Ovarian cancer.
The Emer Casey Foundation was established in the honour and memory of a young woman, Emer Casey who tragically died in 2006 aged 28 from Ovarian/Endometrial cancer. In memory of Emer, the Foundation together with TCD’s Department of Histopathology over the next 5 years are funding Emer Casey PhD studentships. The awarded recipients will work with the DISCOVARY consortium in the areas of ovarian and endometrial cancer.