Laboratory Research in the Gynecologic Oncology Division

The Division of Gynecologic Oncology has an active basic and translational research program led by Joseph Connor, MD and Manish S. Patankar, Ph.D. The gynecologic oncology laboratory space is conveniently located at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC). All of the major projects currently underway are related to ovarian and other gynecologic malignancies. The focus of the lab program is improving the serum CA125 (MUC16) diagnostic test for ovarian cancer by employing advances in glycoproteomics, understanding the importance of MUC16 in the pathogenesis of ovarian tumors, understanding natural killer cell function in women with ovarian cancer and endometriosis, developing lectin conjugated gold chips for glycoproteomics applications that employ Surface Plasmon Resonance and high resolution Mass Spectrometry, and developing microfluidic tissue culture techniques to study the peritoneal attachment of ovarian tumor cells and endometriosis lesions.

Dr. Joseph Connor is conducting translational and basic research. Dr. Connor actively collaborates with Dr Paul Sondel in the Department of Human Oncology on the development of biologic agents for the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Dr. Stephen Rose’s research laboratory studies the role of Notch 1 in ovarian cancer. He was recently selected as a Liz Tilberis Scholar by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund which supports his work. Notch 1 is located on the surface of some types of cancer cells and has been found to play a role in cancer development and progression in some human tumors. Notch 1 must undergo modification by an enzyme called gamma-secretase to become active. Studies in pancreatic cancer and Kaposi's sarcoma have found that inhibiting the enzymatic action of gamma-secretase can not only decrease the levels of active Notch 1, but also inhibit tumor cell growth.

Preliminary work in his laboratory has found that Notch 1 is expressed at a high level in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, they have found that treatment with a gamma-secretase inhibitor can reduce levels of active Notch 1 in these cells. Additional work is underway to determine if Notch 1 inhibition can consistently reduce ovarian cancer cell growth. His lab hopes that by further investigating the Notch 1 pathway in ovarian cancer, they may discover new therapeutic targets that will lead to improved outcomes and quality of life for women who suffer from this disease.

Departmental Research Administration and Structure

The Department of Ob/Gyn employs a Research Administrator to oversee all research endeavors in the department. This person acts as a resource for extramural funding opportunities, budgeting, and compliance issues. In addition, the department has a strong group of Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) to aid in conducting clinical trial research. Three of these CRAs are assigned to the Gynecologic Oncology Division. Their expertise, hard-work and enthusiasm have led to outstanding clinical trial management and data quality. They assist on IRB application and maintenance, grant submission and manuscript preparation. The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) trials are administered through this office as well as audits of our GOG affiliate institutions.

The Department is also fortunate in having a separate Research Division. This structure provides multiple levels of support for the non-clinician researchers in the department, regardless of which clinical division an individual researcher works most closely. It also helps provide strong, NIH funded research throughout the Department, and allows for the clinicians to maximize their interaction and work with laboratory personnel. The Department supports basic translational and clinical research projects via development funds.