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New research advances the development of personalized therapies for ovarian and breast cancer


August 19, 2011

A new study by Dr. Johanne Weberpals, Dr. Jim Dimitroulakos and others could help with the development of more personalized combination therapies for ovarian and breast cancer. Their research shows that compounds known as HDAC inhibitors can increase the sensitivity of ovarian and breast cancer cells to the common chemotherapy cisplatin, but this effect depends on how much BRCA1 protein is present in the cells. This research could lead to the development of a biomarker test to determine which patients are most likely to benefit from this combination therapy (which is currently being evaluated in clinical trials). See Cancer Cell International for details.

This research was supported by the Mitchell Family Fund, the National Ovarian Cancer Association, Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa. All research at OHRI is also supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.