Hippo/YAP pathway in aggressive ovarian cancer
Official title: The Hippo Signaling Pathway in High Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11144436 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers aim to find out how a cell-control system called Hippo/YAP helps start and drive the most deadly form of ovarian cancer in women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2016 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $404,401 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA197976-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144436 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma or women at high risk who can donate tumor or fallopian tube tissue, blood, or clinical data for research.
✕Less likely to help
People without ovarian disease, men, or patients with other non-serous ovarian tumor types are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This research follows clues that high-grade serous ovarian cancer often begins in fallopian tube cells and focuses on a cell signaling system called Hippo/YAP. Scientists use lab-grown human fallopian tube cells, mouse models, and large-scale screens to discover what other factors let YAP push cells toward cancer rather than causing them to stop dividing. Early results showed that activating YAP alone can make primary fallopian tube cells stop growing, but infection-related proteins (like HPV E6) can block that stop signal and allow malignant changes. The team is continuing experiments to identify cooperating factors and molecular steps that could be targeted to prevent or treat this cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new early-warning markers or molecular targets for preventing or treating high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked Hippo/YAP signaling to several cancers and the team has previously shown YAP involvement in ovarian cancer, but the idea that HPV-related factors enable YAP-driven transformation is a newer finding with limited testing so far.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Cheng — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Wang, Cheng
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.