Mapping metabolic changes in ovarian cancer
Official title: Deep Ovarian Cancer Metabolomics
Funded at Georgia Institute of Technology · NIH-11162436 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for chemical signals in blood and ovarian tissue that could help detect and understand ovarian cancer earlier in women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2018 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $447,948 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA218664-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11162436 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be women at increased risk for ovarian cancer (for example, those with BRCA1/2 mutations) or patients willing to donate blood or tissue samples for biomarker research.
✕Less likely to help
People without ovarian cancer risk or those not willing to provide samples are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this project.
What this research studies
You should know the team studies high-grade serous ovarian cancer using mouse models that mimic the human disease and looks for changes in the small molecules (metabolites) in blood and ovarian tissue. They use advanced metabolomics methods to profile how metabolism shifts from very early disease through progression. Early work in these animal models has produced candidate biomarker panels and pointed to ovarian progesterone as a factor that helps tumors develop. The long-term aim is to turn these findings into markers or tests that could be used in women to find cancer sooner.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to blood- or tissue-based markers that detect ovarian cancer earlier and improve survival.
How similar studies have gone: Prior metabolomics and biomarker studies have shown promise in early-stage and animal research, but reliable human screening tests for ovarian cancer are still lacking.
Where this research is happening
-
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fernandez, Facundo Martin — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Fernandez, Facundo Martin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Deep Ovarian Cancer Metabolomics
A study to understand the chemical changes in blood and ovarian tissue from ovarian cancer in mouse models, with the goal of finding biomarkers that could help detect the disease earlier in people.
-
Investigating metabolic changes in ovarian cancer
This study is looking at how ovarian cancer affects the body's metabolism, using mice to find changes that could help doctors detect the disease earlier and improve treatment for patients like you.
-
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.
-
Newborn screening: using gene and metabolite data to refine true vs false positives
A study using genetic and metabolomic data from newborn blood spots to better distinguish real metabolic disorders from false alarms.
-
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.
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.