Projects

Project 1: To develop a pathology resource for pan-omic studies of tubal precursors.

The objectives of this aim are to: (i) secure sufficient cases of rare incidental STICs and STICs associated with HGSC, (ii) validate the samples with central pathology review using criteria previously published, and (iii) perform quality-control assessments of tissue, DNA, RNA, and protein content for subsequent pan-omic studies.

Project 2: Aim 2. To comprehensively characterize the ‘omics landscapes of fallopian tube precursor lesions for diagnostic biomarker detection.

This aim serves as the foundation of our proposal and the backbone for the long-term vision of our consortium. The major goals are to: (i) establish the functional components (genetic, epigenetic, proteomic, and spatial) related to the phenotypes and intercellular interactions of the epithelial, stromal, and immune cell components of incidental STIC lesions in comparison to normal FT tissues, and (ii) use the resulting data to identify unique STIC-specific molecular patterns to select a multi-analyte panel of biomarkers for use in noninvasive early detection and phenotyping of ovarian cancer precursor lesions.

Project 3: To detect the STIC-associated markers in tissue proximal fluids and blood.

The objective of this aim is to develop a multi-analyte assay based on epithelial and stromal biomarkers identified from the pan-omic studies in Aim 2. We will then perform a preliminarily pilot study to assess the potential of these biomarkers for detecting STIC lesions in noninvasively-collected blood and/or Pap specimens.