Tina’s Wish Foundation awards KU investigators grant to continue ovarian cancer early detection research

LAWRENCE — The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tina’s Wish) has awarded a 2026–27 Team Science Grant to two University of Kansas researchers. Dr. Andrew Godwin, Director of the Kansas Institute of Precision Medicine, and Prof. Steven A. Soper, director of the Center of BioModular Multi-Scale Systems for Precision Medicine, will continue a project supported in previous years by the foundation to develop a new screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. Also part of the team at KU are Prof. Rebecca Whelan and Prof. Carlo Barnaba.

According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, with a 31.8% 5-year survival rate when diagnosed at an advanced stage. When detected early, the 5-year survival rates can be as high as 91.7%—although only 20% of cases are detected in an early stage. Therefore, development of early screening tests is vital to improve patient outcomes.

For the past decade, researchers at KUMC and KU have been developing novel tools for precision medicine, which serves to match specific patients to proper treatments. These devices feature micro- and nanoscale structures, which can be used to isolate and analyze biomarkers from bodily fluids in an approach known as liquid biopsy.

Since these devices are based on low-cost plastic consumables—devices are often no larger than a credit card—accurate tests results can be delivered faster, more affordably, and to more communities, particularly to those in rural areas.

The test being developed with the support of Tina’s Wish isolates small particles in blood, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can serve as biomarkers for ovarian cancer. EVs are small sacs of biological material released by all types of cells, including tumor cells, and can vary in size and content. Tumor cells tend to discharge more of these particles into the blood.

Taking advantage of unique ovarian cancer biomarkers found on the surface of EVs, the device used in this test isolates them from blood samples in a process called affinity selection. Targeting different disease-specific EVs requires different affinity agents, which the team is discovering. The team is also developing tools to count the EVs and look at the content of the EVs to help guide treatment decisions for the ovarian cancer patient.

Founded in 2008 in memory of the Honorable Tina Brozman, Tina’s Wish has since raised over $29 million for ovarian cancer research. The foundation now funds $2.4 million of scientific research annually for early detection and prevention of the disease.