...despite the fact that billions of private and federal dollars have been spent on ovarian cancer research. The situation is perhaps best described by the provocative headline in Newsweek (September 15, 2008), “We Fought Cancer... And Cancer Won.”

The Ovarian Cancer Institute (OCI) was founded on the notion that there is a dire need for novel, more productive approaches to ovarian cancer research. OCI is an innovative collaboration between noted Atlanta gynecologic oncologist Benedict B. Benigno M.D. and internationally recognized scientist John F. McDonald Ph.D., Associate Dean and Director of the Integrated Cancer Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

OCI is not your traditional research institute. Dr. McDonald and his colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology are taking an “outside the box” integrative approach to ovarian cancer research. Rather than operating in “academic silos” of research specialization, the OCI approach is to combine state-of-the-art molecular biology with new, emerging technologies and expertise in nanotechnology, biomedical engineering and high-throughput computer science to take a multi-discipline approach to ovarian cancer research and is already generating dramatic results.

For example, OCI researchers have used microscopic (nanomagnetic) beads to capture and remove cancer cells from the abdominal fluid of ovarian cancer patients. Another type of nanoparticle (nanohydrogels) has been designed to target chemotherapeutic agents directly to ovarian cancer cells thereby more effectively killing ovarian cancer cells while, at the same time, eliminating the toxic side-effects typically associated with chemotherapy. Most recently, OCI researchers have developed a new method to diagnose ovarian cancer by sampling a single drop of blood. The methods works by rapidly profiling the metabolic composition of the blood sera and identifying patterns that can distinguish ovarian cancer patients from healthy women with 99-100% accuracy.

How does OCI work?
• Dr. Benigno sees more cases of ovarian cancer than most any other gynecologic oncologist in the United States. A nurse accompanies him to the operating room to extract ovarian tissue and blood samples which are flash frozen and transported to our laboratory at Georgia Tech. Over 300 patient samples a year are studied in the OCI lab – more than any other place in the country.

• OCI's nurse also compiles all aspects of the patient's medical history. OCI has the largest and most extensive patient history database in the world – over 1050 patients have donated tissue to our research efforts as of Fall 2009.

• OCI's samples are analyzed in the laboratory and are also sent to collaborating research institutions throughout the country.

• As part of our virtual Institute, all collaborating laboratories study the same patient samples and results are deposited in our central database that allows for analysis of co-variance between results.

The ultimate goal is an early detection test for ovarian cancer as well as better treatment modalities
for those suffering from ovarian cancer.

Why is OCI unique?
• OCI uses a novel, integrated systems approach to ovarian cancer research that is enabled by the technical and computational strengths that exist at Georgia Tech. State-of-the-art computational methods are applied to the analysis of high-throughput genomic, proteomic and metabolomic data. These results are integrated with our extensive patient history database leading to the identification or previously unrecognized correlations that subsequently lead to new breakthroughs in ovarian cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

• Cutting-edge nanoengineering technologies are being used with our molecular biology findings in the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics. OCI is developing nano-diagnostic devices and nanoparticles to:
- Custom deliver chemotherapy to tumors
- Capture and remove cancer cells from abdominal fluids

• OCI is a leader in developing a “personalized approach” to ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is not a single, uniform disease – every ovarian cancer patient is in many ways unique. A major goal of OCI is to develop methods whereby the cancers of each patient are analyzed separately and the resulting data used to prescribe an optimal therapeutic regiment customized for every patient.

With the opportunities provided through this unique partnership, the Ovarian Cancer Institute is producing exciting results that promise to transform ovarian cancer from a lethal to a chronic disease withing our lifetime.

Please join us in making this promise a reality!