Grant: Project Grant

In North America, death from ovarian cancer is more common than it is in developing countries. In Canada, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer for women and is the most serious of women's cancer. It is estimated that approximately 3000 Canadian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. Two proteins named CDK1 and CCNB1 are known to play an important role in determining whether ovarian cancer cells grow or not. These two proteins are highly expressed in ovarian cancer tissues but are not detectable in normal ovaries. We know that in ovarian cancer cells, CCNB1 binds to CDK1, forming a complex that allows this cell to grow relentlessly. We also know that healthy non-cancerous ovarian cells have a circular RNA molecule called circ-CCNB1 which can separate this CCNB1-CDK1 complex, playing a suppressive role against ovarian cancer. The objectives of our research are to study circ-CCNB1 in ovarian cancer cell growth and survival. We will also develop an animal model to explore the suppressive role that circ-CCNB1 plays in ovarian cancers. One unique aspect of our study is the development of a stable expression construct that allows for long-term studies of circ-CCNB1. The second unique approach is our inhibitor system designed to block the function of individual circular RNAs and proteins, in both cells and animals. These approaches allow us to study the molecule of interest, and better understand any cause and effect relationships. This approach will also provide a basis for developing treatments that might require inhibiting or blocking specific molecules. We hope that our research will contribute to a fundamental understanding of these novel RNA molecules, and their potential applications to inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth.