Investigating the role of SMARCA4/2 loss in undifferentiated ovarian cancer using novel mouse models

Project summary

SMARCA4 and SMARCA2 are two sister genes complementing each other to control the ON or OFF of many other genes. Their dual loss drives the development of highly aggressive cancers in organs such as the ovary. Here, we will leverage our knowledge of their putative cell of origins and expertise in disease modeling and molecular analysis of tumors to model the development of SMARCA4/2-dual deficient ovarian cancers in mouse and identify critical events underlying their development. This work will also provide highly valuable immune-competent disease models for future biological studies and therapeutic assessment.

This grant was made possible in part by a generous donation from Hope for Heather in memory of Heather Weeks.