We are pleased to announce the recipients of the National Research Grant Round 2024.
Dr Sarah Sczelecki
Read about Dr Sarah Sczelecki, one of our grant recipients.
Dr Sarah Sczelecki, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington
Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Validating Candidate Biomarkers for Early Ovarian Cancer Detection
Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate of all gynaecological cancers in Aotearoa. While early diagnosis dramatically improves the survival rates, no early detection methods currently exist. We are working with pre-clinical models of ovarian cancer that mimic human ovarian cancer development, to identify potential early biomarkers. For this project, we will look for these prospective biomarkers in ovarian cancer samples, and from this work we hope to develop the first screening panel of ovarian cancer biomarkers that may be used for early detection. In turn, this will enable prompt treatment and subsequently increase the 5-year survival rates for people with ovarian cancer.