Understanding how chemotherapy-related changes fuel ovarian cancer relapse
Official title: Alternative NF-kB activation in post-chemotherapy setting to elucidate novel mechanisms of ovarian cancer relapse
Funded at San Diego State University · NIH-11404912 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to uncover how changes after chemotherapy help ovarian cancer come back and how to block those signals to help patients stay cancer-free.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $352,516 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA260281-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11404912 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women with ovarian cancer who have undergone or completed chemotherapy and are at risk of relapse.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancer does not involve the identified TICs or NF-kB pathways may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at why ovarian cancer often returns after initial treatment and focuses on a population of therapy-resistant cells. It investigates whether the tumor environment after chemotherapy activates alternative NF-kB signaling that helps cancer cells survive and re-grow. The team plans to study gene pathways in tumor-initiating cells and test whether targeting these signals could extend remission. The goal is to identify new approaches that could lead to longer-lasting responses for patients who have completed chemotherapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to new therapies that prevent relapse and extend the time patients stay cancer-free.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests TICs and NF-kB pathways contribute to relapse, supporting potential benefits of targeting these mechanisms.
Where this research is happening
-
San Diego State University
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: House, Carrie Danielle — San Diego State University
- Study coordinator: House, Carrie Danielle
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
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Why ovarian cancer can come back after chemotherapy — the role of NF-kB signaling
Researchers are looking at whether signals called alternative NF-kB, triggered after chemotherapy, help drug-resistant tumor-initiating cells survive and cause ovarian cancer to return in women treated for ovarian cancer.
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Why ovarian cancer returns after chemotherapy — the role of an alternative NF‑κB signal
This project looks at whether a signaling pathway called alternative NF‑κB helps chemo‑resistant ovarian cancer cells survive and lead to relapse in women treated for ovarian cancer.
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Understanding how ovarian cancer can come back after chemotherapy
This study is looking into why ovarian cancer sometimes comes back after treatment, especially focusing on certain stubborn cancer cells that survive chemotherapy, and it aims to find new ways to stop this from happening so that patients can have better treatment options.
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Understanding how ovarian cancer can come back after chemotherapy
This study is looking into why ovarian cancer sometimes comes back after treatment, especially focusing on a tough group of cancer cells that resist chemotherapy, to find new ways to stop the cancer from returning and help patients feel better.
-
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.