Below please find details on our past 5 years of research funding. If you are interested in learning more about past MOCA research funding, please call the MOCA office at 612-822-0500.

2021 MOCA Research Funding

MOCA awarded $500,000 to ovarian cancer research projects on May 11, 2021, and an additional $100,000 in National Early Detection Research Awards on November 9, 2021.

The 2021 MOCA-funded researchers include:

• John Hawse, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, “Interrogating JAK/STAT signaling as an oncogenic driver and therapeutic target in ovarian cancer,” $100,000 for one year
• Emil Lou, M.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “Targeting channels of ovarian tumor cell communication,” $100,000 for one year
• Zhenkun Lou, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, “Sensitizing Ovarian Cancer Cells to PARP Inhibitor by LRRK2 Inhibition,” $100,000 for one year
• Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “The first step toward a self-sampling at-home test for ovarian cancer: Detection of ovarian cancer biomarker proteins in cervical swabs,” $100,000 for one year
• Tim Starr, Ph.D., University of Minnesota and Beau Webber, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “Gene-edited tumor infiltrating lymphocytes for ovarian cancer immunotherapy,” $100,000 for one year

The 2021 MOCA National Early Detection Research Award recipients include:

• Kevin Elias, M.D., Harvard Medical School, “Cellular communication at the ovarian-fallopian tube interface,” $50,000 for one year
• T. Rinda Soong, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, “Local and Peripheral Immune Landscapes as Biomarker Signatures Associated with Early Precursors of High-Grade Serous Carcinoma,” $50,000 for one year

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2020 MOCA Research Funding

MOCA awarded $400,000 to ovarian cancer research projects on November 19, 2020. Learn more and watch our 2020 Research Awards program.

The 2020 MOCA-funded researchers include:

• Matthew Block, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, “Restructuring the ovarian cancer immune microenvironment with the heparan sulfate mimetic PG545.” $100,000 for one year. This award is funded in part by MOCA’s Spin it Teal Research Award.
• Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “Early detection of ovarian cancer.” National Early Detection Research Award, $100,000 for one year. This award is funded in part by the Molly Cade Research Grant.
• Vijayalakshmi Shridhar, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, “Quinacrine-induced active Cathepsin L is essential to promote ‘BRCAness’ to sensitize HR proficient ovarian cancer cells to PARP inhibitor.” $100,000 for one year.
• Daniel Vallera, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “Engaging the immune system against ovarian cancer.” $100,000 for one year.

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2019 MOCA Research Funding

MOCA awarded $680,000 in funding to researchers in Minnesota and across the nation. In addition to the 2019 funding awards, MOCA provided $475,000 to multi-year grant awards that were funded in 2017 and 2018.

The 2019 MOCA-funded researchers include:

• Melissa Geller, M.D., M.S., University of Minnesota. “IL-15 superagonist ALT 803 maintenance therapy to prevent recurrence of advanced stage ovarian cancer.” $100,000 for one year.
• XInyan Wu, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic. “A humanized antibody against AXL receptor tyrosine kinase as a novel therapy for ovarian cancer.” $100,000 for one year.
• Emil Lou, M.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota. “Targeting channels of ovarian tumor cell communication.” $80,000 for one year.
• Valentina Zanfagnin, M.D., Mayo Clinic. “Repurposing ceritinib to enhance the efficacy of Olaparib in ovarian cancer.” $100,000 for one year.
• Reuben Harris, Ph.D. University of Minnesota. “Diagnosing and targeting APOBEC3B in clear cell ovarian carcinoma.” $100,000 for one year.
• Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., University of Minnesota. “Verification of a biomarker panel for the early detection of ovarian cancer using serum samples from multiple sources.” $150,000 for one year.
• Naoko Sasamoto, M.D., M.P.H., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA. “High throughput protemics profiling for identification of early detection biomarkers of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.” National Early Detection Research Grant Award. $50,000 for one year.

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2018 MOCA Research Funding

In May 2018, MOCA provided a total of $775,000 to ovarian cancer researchers. We awarded $675,000 to five ovarian cancer research projects developed by Minnesota researchers.

We also awarded $100,000 to two researchers as part of our National Early Detection Research Awards.

The 2018 MOCA-funded researchers include:

2018 Minnesota Research Projects:

• Martina Bazzaro, Ph.D. University of Minnesota, “Targeting of mitochondrial activity to prevent and treat recurrent ovarian cancer.” $75,000 for one year. Spin it Teal Research Award.
• Carol Lange, Ph.D. and Laura Mauro, Ph.D. University of Minnesota, “Targeting DNA damage sensing protein kinases in hereditary ovarian cancer. $200,000 for two years.
• Swayam Prabha, Ph.D., MBA. University of Minnesota, “Glycoengineered mesenchymal stem cells for combination chemo and immunotherapy of ovarian cancer. $100,000 for one year.
• Viji Shridhar, Ph.D. Mayo Clinic, “Targeting LRRC15 to inhibit metastasis and recurrence of ovarian cancer.” $200,000 for two years.
• Bruce Walcheck, Ph.D. University of Minnesota, “Engineered natural killer cells expressing chimeric CD64 as a cancer immunotherapy.” $100,000 for one year.

2018 National Early Detection Research Awards:

• Robert Bast, M.D. M.D. Anderson, “Serum autoantibodies for detection of early-stage ovarian cancer.” $50,000 for one year.
• Haiwei Gu, Ph.D. Arizona State University, “Metabolomics diagnosis of ovarian cancer.” $50,000 for one year.

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2017 MOCA Research Funding

In May 2017, MOCA awarded $775,000 to ovarian cancer researchers from the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic.

The 2017 funded researchers included:

• Rachel Hurley, M.D., Ph.D. Candidate, Mayo Clinic, “Identifying novel therapeutic options for women with PARP inhibitor resistant ovarian cancer.” $50,000 for one year.
• Aminah Jatoi, M.D., Mayo Clinic, “A phase 2 trial of auranofin and sirolimus for recurrent ovarian cancer.” $150,000 over three years.
• Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, “Validation of biomarkers for the early detection of ovarian cancer.” $200,000 over two years.
• Swayam Prabha, Ph.D., MBA, University of Minnesota, “Translational studies on glycoengineered mesenchymal stem cells in ovarian cancer.”  $100,000 for one year.
• Andrea Wahner-Hendrickson, M.D., Mayo Clinic, ” PLK4 inhibition as a treatment strategy in high grade serous ovarian cancer” $275,000 over three years.

In November 2017, MOCA expanded our research funding beyond Minnesota with our first-ever National Early Detection Research Grant Awards.

After a rigorous national competitive grantmaking process, MOCA awarded $100,000 to two national research projects focused on early detection.

• Kevin Elias, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, was awarded $50,000 for a one-year project focused on a blood test that is being tested as an early detection screening test of ovarian cancer.
• Barbara Norquist, M.D., from the University of Washington, Seattle was also awarded $50,000 for a one-year project focused on detecting ovarian cancer by uterine lavage with Crispr-duplex sequencing.