# Extracellular Vesicle Proteomic Fingerprinting of Ovarian Cancer for Early Detection with a Nanoengineered Microsystem

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $160,842

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Diversity Supplement Title: Identification of Plasma Microbiota Biosignatures for Early Epithelial Ovarian
Cancer Detection
Annually over 21,000 women are diagnosed in the United States with ovarian cancer and nearly 14,000 women
die of the disease. Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is associated with an overall survival of 30% but
can be cured in up to 90% of cases if diagnosed at an early stage. Therefore, developing noninvasive and highly
specific blood-based tests is highly appealing as screening methods in clinic settings. Research suggests that
human microbiota, a collection of microorganisms that live in the body, are harbored in EOC tumor tissue that
are distinctly unique between women with and without disease. However, additional research is needed to
determine if these observed microbiota differences can be detected outside the ovarian tumor microenvironment
and serve as biomarkers of early disease. Recent investigations have identified noninfectious microbial
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) isolated in blood plasma from individuals with other cancers, which creates an
exciting opportunity for ovarian cancer screening innovation. The purpose of this diversity supplement proposal
is to identify and validate plasma microbial biosignatures detected in EOC that can drive the development of
non-invasive blood tests for early disease screening. This study applies a retrospective design that will use
existing consortium biobank plasma specimens including EOC cases, non-EOC solid tumor cases, benign
gynecologic disease cases, and control cases. We will evaluate the microbial signatures of plasma samples with
16S rRNA gene sequencing and assess the clinical sensitivity and specificity of the most informative microbial
taxa signature that rigorously discriminates between cases with and without EOC. This proposal marks a
dynamic change in thinking to postulate that EOC-favorable microbiota may coalesce in the bloodstream early
and signify ovarian carcinogenesis. We believe this innovative study will allow us to develop a method to detect
early EOC during a routine well women exam by screening blood samples for unique bacterial DNA signatures,
especially in women who are at high risk.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10526715
- **Project number:** 3R01CA260132-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREW K. GODWIN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $160,842
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10526715

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10526715, Extracellular Vesicle Proteomic Fingerprinting of Ovarian Cancer for Early Detection with a Nanoengineered Microsystem (3R01CA260132-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10526715. Licensed CC0.

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