Transcriptional and epigenomic profiles of ovarian carcinomas: understanding the regulatory landscape across diseases.

• Applicant: Dr. Karolin Heinze
• Subject Area: Gynaecology and Obstetrics ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 440911166

Understanding the disease regulation and environment to improve the outcome for ovarian cancer patients - Despite modern medical efforts and advances ovarian cancer is still the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system. The five-year survival rate lies at roughly 40%. Approximately 2,800 women receive this devastating diagnosis in Canada each year. In most cases this cancer is diagnosed in the late stages of cancer development due to the lack of specific symptoms. Additionally, patients often struggle with frequent relapses and the development of a chemotherapy resistant disease decreasing the survival odds. To improve the situation and reveal underlying regulatory mechanism, we want to identify the epigenetic (non-hereditary modifications on the genetic information) regulatory landscape in different histological types of ovarian cancer and determine gene expression in different tumor areas. We will include the analysis of both the tumor itself and adjacent “normal” reactive tissues to characterize the tumor its surrounding environment and identify interaction between these different cells. Consequently, we will be able to determine the players involved in tumor development, understand the underlying regulatory mechanism that permit its development and provide for better discrimination of different ovarian cancer types. In order for new therapy strategies to be effective and life prolonging/saving efforts with minimal side effects, we have to be smart, understand what and how these cells were broken before we try to fix them.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Michael Anglesio, Ph.D.