The Gray Family Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma Research Resource
In partnership with the BC Cancer Foundation
Through the Gray Family Ovarian Clear Carcinoma Research initiative, OVCARE, led by Dr. David Huntsman and his team of multidisciplinary OVCARE researchers and collaborators, has a unique opportunity to completely reshape the scientific and medical understanding of clear cell carcinoma of the ovary and impact the way patients with 
this rare form of cancer are treated. The strength of this initiative is based on linking the clinical research resources developed through OVCARE with the sequencing capacity of the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre and the drug development capacity of the Centre for Drug Research and Development and the Nanomedicine Research Group. This 8-year research initiative will begin with the most fundamental research to decode clear cell carcinomas of the ovary and includes a plan to develop new drugs and clinical trials based on our discovery.
The OVCARE team will first use of state-of-the-art genomic technologies to decode the entire genetic structure of clear cell carcinomas. Using computational methods and tools developed by Dr. Sohrab Shah’s laboratory as part of OVCARE’s Bioinformatics core, the team will transform the vast quantities of genome sequence data into useable knowledge that will be evaluated for clinical relevance by local and international experts. With these discoveries, the team will identify and validate novel biomarkers that can be used to specifically target those biochemical pathways that are considered to be useful tools for future drug development. The goal is to develop therapies that will be tested in animal and human models and ultimately in clinical trails. OVCARE envisions that through the Gray Family Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma Research initiative, we will be able to change the treatment protocols and to improve outcomes for women diagnosed with clear cell carcinoma of the ovary.
