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Study to explore the earliest stages of ovarian cancer


December 3, 2014

Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden has recently received $120,000 from the Cancer Research Society to shine some light on the poorly understood origins of ovarian cancer. Most ovarian cancers are thought to arise from the surface layer of cells on the ovaries or fallopian tubes. These surface cells, called OSE cells, can turn into both slow-growing and aggressive cancers. Previous work shows that a protein called PAX2 plays an early role in determining the cancer's aggressiveness. Dr. Vanderhyden will explore how PAX2 is affecting those initial stages of the disease. This is important since patients with more aggressive ovarian cancer respond differently to chemotherapy than those with a less aggressive cancer. Understanding this molecular chain of events could lead to better and earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer, as well as identify potential therapeutic targets that could stop tumor initiation and progression.

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute


The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with its faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Research at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.

For further information, please contact


Paddy Moore
Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-737-8899 x73687
Cell: 613-323-5680
padmoore@ohri.ca