How the environment affects ovarian cancer spread and treatment.
Official title: Regulation of ovarian cancer metastasis by microenvironment-induced chromatin accessibility and c-Jun activation.
Funded at Indiana University Indianapolis · NIH-11133344 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how ovarian cancer cells move and spread in the body by using a special lab model that acts like human tissue, with the goal of finding new ways to help improve treatment for people with advanced ovarian cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Indiana University Indianapolis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project start | May 7, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $506,309 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA293059-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11133344 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer who are experiencing metastasis.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with early-stage ovarian cancer or those whose cancer has not metastasized may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how ovarian cancer cells interact with their surrounding environment to spread throughout the body. By using a 3D culture model that mimics human tissue, researchers aim to understand the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to metastasize, particularly focusing on the role of chromatin accessibility and the transcription factor c-Jun. The study combines laboratory experiments with analysis of patient tumors to identify potential new targets for therapy that could improve treatment outcomes for patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to the development of new therapies specifically targeting ovarian cancer metastasis, potentially improving survival rates and quality of life for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in understanding cancer metastasis through similar approaches, but this specific focus on chromatin accessibility and c-Jun in ovarian cancer is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Indiana University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mitra, Anirban Kumar — Indiana University Indianapolis
- Study coordinator: Mitra, Anirban Kumar
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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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.
-
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This project looks for the specific cells and molecular changes that let fallopian tube–origin high-grade serous ovarian cancer spread in women.
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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.
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Investigating how tumor cell clusters affect the spread of aggressive ovarian cancer
This study is looking at how groups of cancer cells behave differently from single cancer cells in spreading high-grade serous ovarian cancer, with the hope that understanding this could help find better treatments for patients facing this and similar aggressive cancers.
-
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.
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.