Why ovarian cancer can come back after chemotherapy — the role of NF-kB signaling
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-11212112 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $87,191 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA260281-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11212112 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women who have had ovarian cancer and completed cytotoxic chemotherapy, especially those at high risk of relapse, would be most relevant for related trials or tissue donation.
✕Less likely to help
People without ovarian cancer, or whose disease relapse is driven by unrelated mechanisms, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project focuses on tumor-initiating cells (TICs), a small group of drug-resistant cancer cells that may drive relapse after chemotherapy. The team will examine how chemotherapy changes the tumor environment to release signals like TWEAK that activate alternative NF-kB in cancer cells. Using lab models, molecular tools including CRISPR, and human tumor samples, they will turn genes on and off to find which pathways let TICs survive and regrow tumors. The work aims to identify targets that could be blocked to reduce the chance of ovarian cancer coming back.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to new therapies that prevent relapse by blocking NF-kB–driven survival pathways in ovarian cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical lab studies, including the investigators' prior work, support a role for alternative NF-kB in ovarian cancer stem-like cells, but clinical treatments targeting this pathway are still experimental.
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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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.
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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.
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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.