It's in the blood! - Catching ovarian cancer early with long, non-coding RNAs

Dr. Kellie Dean

Kellie Dean, lecturer and principal investigator in the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at University College Cork, was awarded with a Breakthrough Cancer Research Innovation Grant 2024 in partnership with OvaCare.

Ovarian cancer is considered a cancer with poor prognosis, mainly because it is often diagnosed at a late stage when treatment is less effective. Early symptoms are vague and there is a lack of reliable tests to detect the disease early. Importantly, ovarian cancer is not detected by smear tests that are used for cervical cancer. Therefore, scientists are looking at new types of biomarkers—substances that can indicate the presence of cancer—that can be found in the blood. One promising type of biomarker is long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are stable in the blood and specific to different tissues.

Our study aims to test a group of lncRNAs found in blood – both from the liquid (plasma) and blood cells, like platelets. In preliminary research, our lab identified lncRNAs that are higher in the blood of ovarian cancer patients compared to healthy individuals. Notably, these markers were also elevated in patients with early-stage ovarian cancer. We have confirmed these findings using a large database of blood samples to ensure accuracy.

The next step of our research involves collecting blood samples from ovarian cancer patients, those with high family risk, and healthy individuals. We will analyse these samples to measure the levels of the identified lncRNAs. By comparing these levels among the groups, we aim to confirm whether these lncRNAs can reliably indicate early-stage ovarian cancer. If successful, this could lead to a simple, non-invasive blood test for early detection of ovarian cancer, potentially saving many lives through earlier and more effective treatment.