The Tina Brozman Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium Fuels Collaboration Across Four Leading Institutions With $900,000 Grant

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Tina's Wish, the only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to funding scientific research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer, is pleased to announce that it will award $900,000 over three years to four collaborating researchers as part of the second grant issued by the Tina Brozman Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium (the "Consortium"). 

With this latest grant award, Tina's Wish is extremely proud to fund a multi-disciplinary team with diverse expertise to address pressing unmet needs:

• Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine
• Ie-Ming Shih, MD, PhD, of John Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Rugang Zhang, PhD, of The Wistar Institute
• Daniel Heller, Phd, of Memorial Sloan Kettering

The team's project "Integration of Advanced Genomic and Bioengineering Approaches for Early Detection and Prevention of Ovarian Cancer," reflects the commitment to innovation that is desperately needed to improve outcomes for women afflicted by this insidious disease.

"If there is one solid rule that is true all around the world, it is that creative networks of cooperation are the best way to solve problems faster, cheaper and better," said President Bill Clinton during his acceptance speech for the Tina's Wish Global Women's Health Award.

Ovarian cancer is responsible for the deaths of nearly 125,000 women worldwide each year and the five-year survival rate has not improved in decades. The Consortium Grant recipients' assessment that the poor survival rate reflects the absence of effective methods for early detection and prevention is directly aligned with the oncology community's consensus.

The Consortium Grant will now help these talented researchers focus on investigating fluids near the fallopian tubes for the presence of genetic and protein biomarkers indicative of ovarian cancer disease onset. They also aim to develop compounds that may be able to eradicate ovarian cancer tumor-initiating cells that develop in the fallopian tubes.

Since its inception, Tina's Wish has raised more than $9 million towards its cause. The Foundation created the Consortium in 2013 to convene scientists from world-class institutions and help facilitate the sharing of uniform cancer specimens to support the development of innovative prevention and diagnostic strategies.

For more information about Tina's Wish and its funded research, please visit tinaswish.org/current-research/

Contact:   Beverly Wolfer
Executive Director
Tina's Wish
212.880.5757
[email protected]

SOURCE Tina's Wish