Why ovarian cancer returns after chemotherapy — the role of an alternative NF‑κB signal
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-11173656 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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) | $345,771 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA260281-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11173656 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women with ovarian cancer who have completed or are receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy and who can provide tumor tissue or blood samples would be the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without ovarian cancer, or those seeking immediate clinical treatment rather than contributing samples for research, are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you participate, researchers will study tumor tissue and blood from women treated with chemotherapy to see how the tumor environment changes after treatment. They will look for activation of an alternative NF‑κB pathway and signals like TWEAK that may allow tumor‑initiating cells to survive. In the lab, scientists will use patient‑derived samples, cell models, and tools such as CRISPR to turn genes on or off and watch how cancer cells respond. The aim is to understand how relapse begins so new ways to stop it can be developed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new approaches to prevent ovarian cancer relapse by targeting the signals that let resistant cells survive after chemo.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory and preclinical studies link alternative NF‑κB to tumor‑initiating cells and chemoresistance, but translating these findings into patient therapies is still largely unproven.
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 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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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.