Meet MIOCA's 2023 Geri Fournier Ovarian Cancer Research Grant Recipient: Dr. Ramesh Babu Batchu
MIOCA recognizes that funding for ovarian cancer research is vital to promote new scientific advances in detection and improved treatment outcomes. Since 2014, MIOCA has provided $800,000 to researchers who are finding new ways to improve the early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.
MIOCA is excited to highlight our 2023 Geri Fournier Ovarian Cancer Research Award recipient:
Ramesh Babu Batchu, M.Phil., Ph.D., Wayne State University School of Medicine
Project: Targeting Unshed Mesothelin and the PD-1 Immune Checkpoint Pathway with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Dr. Batchu is an Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Developmental Therapeutics in the Department of Surgery at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. He specializes in immuno-gene therapy and RNA interference, with a focus on pancreatic and ovarian cancers. His lab specializes in cancer immunotherapy, particularly focusing on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T lymphocytes known as CAR T cells.
T cells are generated in the laboratory and genetically manipulated to introduce CAR to develop CAR T cells. The engineered CAR T cells latch onto ovarian cancer cells via Mesothelin antigens and kill them. This technique has proven to be highly effective in treating blood cancers. However, solid tumors like ovarian cancers, while effective in test tubes, are not effective in patients due to the tumor microenvironment surrounding solid tumors.
Due to the high success rate with non-solid cancer cells and in the laboratory against ovarian cancer cells, Dr. Batchu, and his team, consisting of Dr. Bala Krishna Kolli and Oksana Gruzdyn, with the support of Department Chairman Prof. Donald W. Weaver, are exploring how to successfully move the therapy from the bench to the bedside. Dr. Batchu's lab is tackling this challenge by investigating how to overcome two key hurdles: Mesothelin antigen shedding by cancer cells and the PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway. By overcoming these obstacles, they hope to enhance CAR T cell therapy's effectiveness and bring it to clinical use, offering new hope for ovarian cancer patients.
We look forward to learning the results of Dr. Batchu's very important research, which has the potential to improve treatment options for those facing ovarian cancer.