Targeting Lipid Droplets for Ovarian Cancer Chemosensitization
Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy brings poor clinical outcomes in ovarian cancer patients. Ovarian cancer cells spread to fat rich-abdominal organs and take up lipids from the surrounding environment. They utilize these lipids as an energy source for their growth and survival during chemotherapy. The surplus lipids are kept inside lipid storage organelles, lipid droplets (LDs). The LD is a double-edged sword for cancer cells because the LD can promote cancer cell growth and chemoresistance, but also can enhance the tumor-killing effect of some anti-cancer drugs at the LDs. However, it is unknown which gene is responsible for LD formation and the activation of anti-cancer drugs at the LDs. We project a gene, LD-associated hydrolase (LDAH), as a strong candidate for ovarian cancer treatment because we found that LDAH increases ovarian cancer cell death and the effectiveness of chemotherapy in test tubes. Interestingly, ovarian cancer patients who have more LDAH in their tumors show a longer survival outcome than those who have less LDAH in their tumors. Thus, we plan to search for how LDAH reduces ovarian tumor growth and which drug can be activated by LDAH using mouse models. The success of this study will contribute to developing a novel therapy for currently incurable chemoresistant ovarian cancer. Therefore, this study is in line with the mission of the ovarian cancer research program, which supports research to combat ovarian cancer to improve the well-being of patients, family members, and all women impacted by this disease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110256
Entities
People
- Dong-joo Cheon
Organizations
- Albany Medical College
- United States Army