Reproductive Cancer Research

Research Leaders: Dr Carmela Ricciardelli and Associate Professor Martin Oehler

The Reproductive Cancer Research group has three core research projects:

1. Proteomics of ovarian cancer implantation

The implantation of cancer cells onto the peritoneal surfaces is one of the first crucial steps in ovarian cancer metastasis. It remains unclear which factors promote this process. The group recently investigated the interaction between ovarian cancer cells and peritoneal cells using a proteomic approach. This novel strategy aimed to identify important proteins likely to be mechanistically involved in implantation to the peritoneum, one of the first steps involved in ovarian cancer metastasis.

2. Immunoproteomics approach to identify early detection markers in ovarian cancer

At present there is no reliable biomarker for the diagnosis of early stage ovarian cancer. Since there are no specific symptoms related to ovarian cancer, a large proportion of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed when they have late-stage disease. Only 35% of women with advanced ovarian cancer are alive after five years following diagnosis. In contrast, the five-year survival for patients diagnosed with the organ-confined stage I ovarian cancer exceeds 90%, and most patients are cured of their disease. Autoantibodies against tumour associated antigens have recently emerged as promising biomarkers for the detection of cancer and may provide an early, useful and effective marker for the detection of ovarian cancer.

A project funded by Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) in 2009 investigated the presence of autoantibodies in ovarian cancer patients and their potential as diagnostic markers. Several autoantibodies have been detected in advanced stage serous ovarian cancer patients. Ongoing studies will determine if a panel of these antibodies are also present in early stage ovarian cancer and be used for ovarian cancer diagnosis.

3. Maldi imaging of early ovarian cancer development

The group is also exploring the proteomic profile of early stage serous ovarian carcinomas and tubal intraepithelial carcinomas by means of imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). IMS which applies Matrix-Assisted Laser Disorption Ionisation-Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) directly on tissue sections for mass measurement of proteins and peptides, has become a powerful, high interest field in proteomics as it allows sampling of numerous individual masses and their distribution in tissue sections. The project will be the first to investigate the proteome in early stage ovarian cancer by means of IMS. Results from this project have the potential to translate into a fundamental new understanding of ovarian cancer.