How acetylcarnitine helps ovarian cancer resist chemotherapy
Official title: Acylcarnitine Metabolism in Ovarian Cancer Chemoresistance
Funded at Wistar Institute · NIH-11379433 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether lowering acetylcarnitine in high-grade serous ovarian cancer can make tumors more sensitive to standard DNA-damaging chemotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wistar Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $671,518 |
| NIH project number | 7R01CA298386-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11379433 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, especially those with tumors that are resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy or show intact homologous recombination repair, would be most relevant for future trials stemming from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other ovarian cancer subtypes or whose tumors do not rely on acetylcarnitine-driven DNA repair mechanisms may not benefit from these approaches.
What this research studies
Researchers are examining how a small molecule called acetylcarnitine changes histone chemistry and helps high-grade serous ovarian tumors repair chemotherapy-caused DNA damage. They will map the acetylcarnitine-dependent histone acetylation pathway and connect those changes to homologous recombination DNA repair in tumor models. The team will test interventions that reduce intracellular acetylcarnitine to see if those changes make tumors more responsive to standard DNA-damaging agents. Results are intended to guide metabolic strategies to overcome chemoresistance and inform future patient trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that make chemo-resistant ovarian tumors respond better to standard treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Targeting tumor metabolism to overcome chemoresistance has shown promise in preclinical studies, but targeting acetylcarnitine specifically is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aird, Katherine Marie — Wistar Institute
- Study coordinator: Aird, Katherine Marie
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding the experience of ovarian cancer after diagnosis to improve survivorship
This NIH grant funds a mixed-methods study to better understand physical and emotional challenges faced by ovarian cancer survivors and how supportive care can help them live better after diagnosis.
-
Targeting quiescent ovarian cancer cells to overcome chemotherapy resistance
A study focusing on why some ovarian cancer cells pause dividing and resist chemotherapy, with the goal of finding new treatment targets for relapsed disease.
-
Photodynamic lipids to boost chemotherapy for metastatic ovarian cancer
A patient-friendly approach tests a light-activated method to make ovarian cancer metastases more sensitive to chemotherapy.
-
Integrated framework to validate and quantify proteoforms in patient-derived ovarian cancer cells
A collaboration will combine advanced top-down proteomics with a new computational method to precisely identify and measure intact proteoforms in tiny samples from ovarian cancer cells.
-
Overcoming platinum resistance in ovarian cancer: finding biomarkers and new targets
Researchers are looking for new biomarkers and targets to help prevent or overcome platinum resistance in high‑risk ovarian cancer so patients have better chances at long-term control.
-
Alternative NF-kB activation after chemotherapy in ovarian cancer
This grant studies how ovarian cancer might come back after chemotherapy by looking at specific signaling pathways in cancer cells and the tumor environment.
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.