The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named six new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators. The recipients of this prestigious award are outstanding, early-career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation’s leading scientists and clinicians.
Mary M. Mullen, MD, with mentors Dineo Khabele, MD, and Nima Mosammaparast, MD, PhD, at Washington University, St. Louis
Only up to 20% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will survive five years after diagnosis. This is largely due to the cancer’s resistance to traditional chemotherapy and the current lack of targeted therapies that work with chemotherapy to improve response. Dr. Mullen’s lab has identified a new target, COP9 Signalosome Subunit 5 (COPS5), to treat ovarian cancer. Her team has found that inhibiting COPS5 with a drug called CSN5i-3 drastically improves ovarian cancer response to chemotherapy. She now aims to test the effectiveness of CSN5i-3 and chemotherapy against patient-derived, therapy-resistant ovarian cancer tumors. She will also investigate the mechanism of COPS5, believed to be involved in the repair of DNA damage caused by chemotherapy. Dr. Mullen hopes this innovative target will transform the care of patients with ovarian cancer.