(Denver, Colo.) HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to Kwong K. Wong of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a study focused on type I/low-grade ovarian cancer. This grant, the largest HERA has ever awarded, originated from an anonymous donor with this type of ovarian cancer. This endowment will help further Dr. Wong’s research, which uses modern genomic approaches to uncover the mechanisms that cause ovarian cancer, and to identify effective methods of treatment.
Long dedicated to ovarian cancer research, Dr. Wong cloned and sequenced the first tumor suppressor gene shown to be involved in ovarian cancer, and identified several serum markers for potential early detection. Describing the importance of his current research area, “low-grade”
HERA also awarded three OSB1 grants, which provide funding for Ph.D. and M.D. fellows at major research institutions who develop innovative, “outside the box” methods of detection, treatment, and prevention of ovarian cancer. The 2010 OSB1 grants have been awarded to fellows at Johns Hopkins University.
* Bin Guan, PH.D., a post-doctoral fellow from the department of Pathology, will employ state-of-the-
* Ana Tergas, M.D., a clinical fellow from the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, will research how products of late-stage ovarian cancer affect the immune response.
* Okey Ibeanu, M.D., M.P.H., a clinical fellow on the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service, will study sexual dysfunction following primary surgery for ovarian cancer.
About the HERA Foundation
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation strives to stop the loss of women to ovarian cancer by empowering them to take control of their health and encouraging communities to provide support. Additionally, HERA facilitates medical research and provides scientists with means to discover new directions in the detection, treatment, and prevention of ovarian cancer. For more information, visit www.herafoundation.org.
