How chemotherapy can activate MASP and help ovarian cancer spread
Official title: Chemotherapy induced MASP activation and ovarian cancer metastasis
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11267994 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether common chemotherapy drugs trigger a protein called MASP that helps high-grade serous ovarian cancer cells spread, with the aim of protecting patients from metastatic relapse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $462,180 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA292106-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11267994 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer, especially those receiving or scheduled to receive platinum/taxane chemotherapy, would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-epithelial ovarian tumors, very early-stage disease not treated with chemotherapy, or unrelated cancer types may not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
I have high-grade serous ovarian cancer and my care often includes surgery plus platinum/taxane chemotherapy, but relapse is common. This research will examine how chemotherapy might change tumor cells or the abdominal environment to activate a protein called MASP and promote cancer cells detaching, attaching to the peritoneal lining, and invading other organs. The team will study patient tumor samples, laboratory cell models, and animal models and use molecular tests to track MASP activity and the steps of metastasis. They will also test strategies to block the MASP-related signals that may drive chemotherapy-induced spread.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal ways to prevent chemotherapy-driven spread of ovarian cancer and reduce the risk of relapse.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior studies suggest chemotherapy can promote metastatic traits in cancer cells, but targeting MASP specifically is a newer idea with limited clinical testing so far.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Antalis, Toni M — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Antalis, Toni M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Investigating how chemotherapy affects ovarian cancer spread
This study is looking at how chemotherapy might sometimes make high-grade serous ovarian cancer spread more quickly, and it aims to find new ways to help prevent this from happening, so patients can have better treatment outcomes.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Tumor-Niche Co-evolution in Ovarian Cancer Metastasis and Resistance
This research explores how ovarian cancer cells interact with their surrounding tissue to understand how metastasis and resistance to therapy develop, with potential to guide better treatments.
-
How the tumor environment helps ovarian cancer spread by activating c‑Jun and AKT2
This work looks for molecular changes in the tumor surroundings that switch on c‑Jun and AKT2 and help ovarian cancer cells spread, aiming to guide new treatments for people with metastatic ovarian cancer.
-
Understanding how chemotherapy-related changes fuel ovarian cancer relapse
Aims to uncover how changes after chemotherapy help ovarian cancer come back and how to block those signals to help patients stay cancer-free.
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.