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Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Ovarian Cancer (SPORE)
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The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has selected Fox Chase Cancer Center to receive an NCI grant for a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. The five-year grant is one of five awarded to NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers to fund ovarian cancer research.
Fox Chase is the only center in Pennsylvania and the first of only two facilities on the entire East Coast to receive a SPORE grant for ovarian cancer. NCI has designed SPORE grants to support innovative, multidisciplinary research approaches that potentially may have an immediate impact on improving cancer care and prevention.
The grant funds Fox Chase research projects that focus on translating basic research findings from the laboratory to clinical settings. The goal of this "translational" research is to discover methods of earlier detection and improved prevention and treatments for this deadly disease.
Robert F. Ozols, MD, PhD, senior vice president for medical science at Fox Chase, is principal investigator for the SPORE in Ovarian Cancer (PDF) (This link requires Adobe® Acrobat Reader to view.) grant. He is internationally recognized for his research to improve treatment for ovarian cancer by developing more effective approaches to chemotherapy.
The co-principal investigator for the grant is Thomas C. Hamilton, PhD. He leads the ovarian cancer research program at Fox Chase and is one of the world's foremost experts on the biology of this cancer.
"Despite recent treatment improvements, ovarian cancer remains the number one gynecologic killer in the United States. " Ozols said. "One reason is that it often produces few symptoms until the disease has advanced. The SPORE grant expands our research effort and combines clinical trials and laboratory studies."
In the United States, it is estimated that ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in 22,220 women and result in 16,200 deaths. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women.
"All the research projects are jointly directed by a clinical and a laboratory researcher to facilitate rapid clinical development of new findings," Ozols said.