Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is the deadliest cancer of the female reproductive system. This is mostly because most cases are diagnosed at late stages when the cancer has become resistant to common treatments. Diagnosis at early stages is challenging since current biomarkers are not sensitive and specific enough. Due to these challenges, there is an urgent need for better diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets to improve patient outcomes.One potential candidate is circSKA3. Our lab found that circSKA3 is present at high level in tissue samples of High Grade Serous Carcinoma (HGSC), the most deadly type of EOC. This finding suggests that circSKA3 is a potential diagnostic biomarker, but to determine its use for early detection, it needs to be studied in blood samples. Also, our lab has shown that increasing the level of circSKA3 in HGSC cell lines promotes hallmarks of cancer while decreasing its level had the opposite effect. This result suggests that circSKA3 is a potential treatment target, but this finding needs to be validated in a living organism.For my master's project, I will examine how circSKA3 affects the development of HGSC in a living organism. Based on our previous findings, I predict that tumors with higher circSKA3 levels will be more aggressive than those with lower levels. To test this, I will injectHGSC cell lines with different circSKA3 levels into a mouse model and observe the behavior of tumors using advanced imaging techniques. Also, I will test if circSKA3 can be used as an early diagnostic biomarker. Based on our previous findings, I predict that circSKA3 levels in the blood will reflect the presence and development of HGSC. To test this, I will collect blood samples at different stages of tumor growth and measure circSKA3 levels.