Research

OVCARE is British Columbia’s multi-institutional and multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research group. OVCARE was founded in 2000 and has grown from a small group of researchers and disconnected research projects to a coherent team that is recognized internationally as a leader in the study of ovarian cancer. In 2008, OVCARE researchers discovered that ovarian cancer is not a single disease but multiple, distinct disease types. This has fundamentally changed the way ovarian cancer research is being performed in BC, nationally and internationally.

"I believe OVCARE’s success stems from three things.

First, our team works because we want to work together and we share a vision of a world free from ovarian cancer.

Second, the environment we work in is superb. The BC Cancer Agency brings the cancer care and research community together. In addition, the proximity of Vancouver’s major surgical hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, brings together all of the pieces we need to succeed in our mission. And, both the BC Cancer Foundation and the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation agreed to work together to raise money for our team.

Last but not least, the patients themselves have been extremely generous and supportive of this research. I do not personally know how terrifying it must be to receive a diagnosis of cancer. If one day I do, however, I hope that I will react to the situation with the same generosity demonstrated by all the women who make the research of OVCARE possible. By allowing us to archive their tumour samples and use material from their ovarian cancers, we can conduct the type of research needed to achieve our vision. Without their support and the support of the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation and the BC Cancer Foundation donors, our team could not exist."

Building hope for women and families facing ovarian cancer 

Over the years, the OVCARE team has built core research resources enabling much of OVCARE’s discoveries and is now using powerful new DNA sequencing technologies to get to the heart of what ovarian cancer is. This, in combination, with the tremendous strides made by the OVCARE team in understanding where these cancers originate have positioned OVCARE to lead the ovarian cancer research community in the creation of rational, informed and individualized approaches to tackle this disease at all levels: prevention, early detection and treatment. By having the ovarian cancer care team embedded or leading all OVCARE’s research projects, the team focuses their research to address the most pressing clinical needs and clinically relevant questions.

Click on Discoveries to learn more about OVCARE’s past research.

How Philanthropy Makes a Difference

With the tremendous support from VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation and BC Cancer Foundation donors, OVCARE launched the world’s first ovarian cancer prevention campaign and is now becoming a centre of breakthrough research in the area of clear cell ovarian cancer. Click here to learn more about our current research.