LSI Challenge: Health

This Research Ireland enterprise partnership scheme scholarship project focuses on ovarian cancer (OC), a gynaecological cancer with a very poor prognosis. The aim is to investigate drug treatments that have the potential to improve patient survival while minimising drug side effects. 

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a type of targeted cancer treatment that deliver chemotherapy drugs specifically to cancer cells, reducing damage to healthy cells. This approach can lead to better outcomes and fewer side effects.

This study evaluates ADCs currently used to treat certain breast cancers. Previous findings have shown that these ADCs can prevent the growth of OC cells in the lab. The current investigation explores whether combining ADCs with DNA damage repair inhibitors like PARP inhibitors—drugs already used to treat specific types of OC—can enhance its effectiveness. Together, these drugs are expected to cause damage to the cancer cell’s genetic material, triggering cell death. To test this treatment under conditions similar to cancer in the body, OC cells are being grown in the lab in small tumour-like structures.

The goal of this research is to contribute to the development of improved treatments for individuals affected by OC.