Proteomic Analysis of Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Concers

One of the major clinical challenges in the treatment of ovarian cancer is that the cancer cells are or become resistant to the drugs used to treat the disease. When the cell no longer responds to the drugs the cancer continues to grow unabated. Some cellular factors that contribute to making a cell resistant to chemotherapy drugs have been identified though many still remain to be discovered. These cellular factors or proteins involved in drug resistance can be measured using sensitive analytical techniques. A major goal of the research proposed in this study is to analyze these proteins from ovarian cancer cell lines that are known to be either sensitive or resistant to the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin a first line treatment for ovarian cancer. We will determine if there is a specific protein fingerprint that is indicative of either sensitivity or resistance to cisplatin. Once the useful factors that influence drug resistance are identified in cell lines and verified using tumor biopsies we anticipate that this information could then be used to help predict whether a specific tumor will respond to a specific treatment. To date the sensitivity of a specific ovarian carcinoma to a specific treatment can only be assessed by administration of the treatment and then observing the outcome. Knowing the factors that contribute to a cancer being sensitive or resistant and having the methods to determine if these factors are present or absent in a given tumor are the goals of this proposal. This information could then be used in the clinical assessment to determine the best course of treatment for a specific cancer.