University of Nottingham launches ovarian cancer research centre

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK and the US and the fifth leading cause of death among women.

Despite advances in surgery and chemotherapy, the overall outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer remains poor with over 4,000 patients – more than 50 per cent – dying from the condition each year in the UK.

The research centre, which will be led by Professor of Medical Oncology Srinivasan Madhusudan, will trial new approaches in treating ovarian cancer, including developing new agents that block DNA damage signalling and repair in ovarian tumours and expanding research into new therapies to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

It will also be investigating issues that some patients have with developing resistance to certain drugs and therapies which otherwise can offer improved outcomes for the disease, including platinum-based chemotherapy and emerging precision medicines such as PARP inhibitors.

“It is truly an exciting time to be at the University of Nottingham,” said Madhusudan.

“Our team will be at the forefront of research into better understanding of ovarian cancer and new drug therapies. I am grateful to Farid and Jenna for their commitment and support to our work.”

Suleman, who graduated from Nottingham with a degree in 1974, said: “It is indeed a privilege to be associated with Professor Srinivasan Madhusudan and his outstanding team.

“I am grateful for the continued commitment of the university and all its resources, which make this ground breaking research possible. We hope that NOVARC will serve as a foundation to expand future research into ovarian cancer.”

The new centre is hoped to bring together cancer scientists from the university’s Centre for Cancer Sciences in the Biodiscovery Institute with clinicians at Nottingham University Hospital Gynaecological Oncology Surgical Centre (NUHGOC) and Nottingham University Hospital Cancer Centre (NUHCC).