Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Inc

SEE SCHEDULE O FOR ORGANIZATION MISSION STATEMENT

OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE WAS FOUNDED IN 1994 (AS THE OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH FUND, INC.) AND IS A FULL-SPECTRUM ORGANIZATION FUNDING MEDICAL RESEARCH, ADVOCATING FOR RELEVANT HEALTH CARE POLICIES AT FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS, AND PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. OVARIAN CANCER IS THE DEADLIEST OF ALL GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS AND RANKS FIFTH AS THE CAUSE OF CANCER DEATH IN WOMEN. EACH YEAR THERE WILL BE OVER 22,000 NEW CASES OF OVARIAN CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES, AND APPROXIMATELY 14,000 WOMEN WILL DIE OF THE DISEASE. THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OCRA'S PROGRAMS REFLECT OUR COMMITMENT TO THE OVARIAN CANCER COMMUNITY. SINCE 1998, OCRA HAS AWARDED 378 GRANTS FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH TO PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS AT 89 LEADING MEDICAL CENTERS, WHICH IS AN INVESTMENT TOTALING OVER $106 MILLION. THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS, OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE WORKING ON MANY FRONTS TO DEFEAT OVARIAN CANCER. BY DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR EARLY DETECTION, AND EXPLORING THE GENETICS THAT INCREASE RISK FOR OVARIAN CANCER, WE HOPE TO SAVE WOMEN'S LIVES BY FINDING THE CANCER EARLY OR STOPPING IT BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS. RESEARCHERS ARE GAINING INSIGHTS INTO THE MANY TYPES OF OVARIAN CANCER AND DETERMINING THE ORIGINS OF THE DISEASE, WHICH MAY LEAD TO MORE EFFECTIVE TESTING AND TREATMENT OPTIONS. FURTHERMORE, THEY ARE IDENTIFYING NEW AND BETTER TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE OVERALL SURVIVAL, PREVENT DRUG RESISTANCE, MINIMIZE SIDE EFFECTS, AND ENHANCE PATIENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE. FINALLY, THEY ARE DECIPHERING HOW AND WHY OVARIAN CANCER SPREADS, AND HOW TO STOP IT.ACCOMPLISHMENTS ACHIEVED AS A RESULT OF OCRA GRANTS INCLUDE:SHOWN THAT RUCAPARIB EXTENDS PROGRESSION FREE SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN CANCER; HELPED EXPLAIN RESISTANCE TO CHEMOTHERAPY; DISCOVERED THAT 18% OF OVARIAN CANCER CASES INVOLVE INHERITED MUTATIONS; EXPLORED THE ROLE OF ESTROGEN IN ANTI-TUMOR IMMUNITY; PINPOINTED TWO GENES THAT TRIGGER OVARIAN CANCER; IDENTIFIED A NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY FOR CLEAR CELL OVARIAN CANCER; SHOWN HOW A PARP/IMMUNE THERAPY COMBO SHOWS PROMISE; DEMONSTRATED HOW GENE THERAPY MAY HELP PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT DISEASE; CONFIRMED GENERIC HEART MEDICATION CAN PROLONG SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS; SHED LIGHT ON HOW OVARIAN CANCER GROWS; DISCOVERED THAT ANALYZING DATA FROM PAP SMEARS COULD HELP DETECT ENDOMETRIAL AND OVARIAN CANCER; ESTABLISHED THERE IS NO LINK BETWEEN OBESITY AND RISK FOR THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF OVARIAN CANCER; SHOWN THAT FGFR4 IS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR OVARIAN CANCER; FOUND THAT A SUBSET OF IMMUNE CELLS PROMOTE TUMOR GROWTH; CLARIFIED WHICH CELL LINES ARE THE BEST FIT FOR USE IN OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH; DEFINED SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOME ENDOMETRIAL, BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCERS; EXPLAINED HOW AN EXPERIMENTAL DRUG MAY BE HELPFUL IN FIGHTING PLATINUM-RESISTANT OVARIAN CANCER; IDENTIFIED AREAS OF THE HUMAN GENOME THAT ARE LINKED TO INCREASED RISK FOR OVARIAN CANCER; EVALUATED NEW EXPERIMENTAL MODELS TO ADVANCE OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH; REVEALED HOW COMBINING TARGETED AGENTS IS EFFECTIVE; IDENTIFIED BIOMARKERS THAT CAN BE USED TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLATINUM RESISTANCE THERAPIES; STUDIED MACROPHAGES TO IMPROVE TREATMENT; IDENTIFIED NOVEL BIOMARKERS OF HGSOC AND SPECIFIC DRUG TARGETS; AND TARGETED MDM2 DEGRADATION AS A NOVEL TREATMENT FOR OVARIAN CANCER.IN 2021 ALONE, OCRA RESEARCHERS: REVEALED HOW CERTAIN CELLS DRIVE IMMUNOTHERAPY RESISTANCE, AND SHOWED THAT TARGETING A SIGNALING PATHWAY IN THESE CELLS IMPROVED TUMOR RESPONSE TO IMMUNOTHERAPY; SHED LIGHT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF INCREASED GENETIC TESTING AND COUNSELING ESPECIALLY IN HIGH RISK BLACK WOMEN; IDENTIFIED A SPECIFIC ENZYME KNOWN AS UCHL1, WHICH POINTS TO THE POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF A TARGETED INHIBITOR IN TREATING CERTAIN TUMORS; DISCOVERED A NEW BIOMARKER THAT MAY OPEN UP MORE AVENUES FOR TARGETED THERAPIES; REVEALED THAT NOVOBIOCIN IS CAPABLE OF TARGETING AND KILLING TUMOR CELLS IN LABORATORY CELL LINES AND TUMOR MODELS WITH BRCA1 OR BRCA2 GENETIC MUTATIONS, AND IS EFFECTIVE EVEN IN TUMORS THAT HAVE BECOME RESISTANT TO PARP INHIBITORS; PAVED THE WAY FOR POTENTIAL NEW AVENUES OF TRANSCRIPTION-BASED ANTICANCER THERAPY THROUGH A COMBINATION OF CDK9 INHIBITION AND PP2A ACTIVATION; DISCOVERED A VULNERABILITY IN CANCER CELLS THAT HARBOR ARIDA1A MUTATIONS, WHICH POINTS TO POTENTIAL NEW PATHWAYS OF TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS LIVING WITH OVARIAN CLEAR CELL CARCINOMA; AND IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS IN SUBGROUPS OF HIGH-GRADE SEROUS OVARIAN CANCER, WHICH WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED THERAPIES. EVERY DOLLAR DONATED BRINGS US CLOSER TO A CURE FOR THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO JOIN US IN OUR FIGHT, PLEASE VISIT OCRA'S WEBSITE AT WWW.OCRAHOPE.ORG.

EACH YEAR, OCRA BRINGS TOGETHER OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS, SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS AT THE OVARIAN CANCER NATIONAL CONFERENCE, A THREE DAY-LONG EVENT FILLED WITH INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS FEATURING EXPERT SPEAKERS, FUN AND COMMUNITY. EACH YEAR, 350+ PEOPLE (OR MORE THAN 600 DURING OUR VIRTUAL CONFERENCES) FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY COME TOGETHER FOR THIS EVENT, NOW IN ITS 25TH YEAR. THE SPIRIT OF UNITY AND HOPE IS ALWAYS STRONG THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, WHERE ATTENDEES MEET NEW FRIENDS AND REUNITE WITH OLD ONES, WHILE ATTENDING SESSIONS THAT PROVIDE UP-TO-DATE ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND SURVIVORSHIP. SESSIONS FEATURE TOP OVARIAN CANCER EXPERTS WHO GENEROUSLY GIVE OF THEIR TIME, PRESENTING THE LATEST IN TREATMENTS, RESEARCH, MANAGING RECURRENCE, GENETICS, NUTRITION, CARETAKER AND SUPPORTER CARE, SUPPORT FOR YOUNG WOMEN, ADVOCACY, AND SO MUCH MORE.

BEYOND OUR CONFERENCE, OCRA HAS ADDITIONAL PATIENT EDUCATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS, AND ALSO ENGAGES IN ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER. OUR WEBSITE IS A COMPREHENSIVE SOURCE OF EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION, AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE YEAR WE HOLD A SERIES OF FREE, EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS ON A RANGE OF TOPICS RELATED TO OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH, TREATMENT, AND SURVIVORSHIP. OCRA'S PATIENT-SUPPORT LINE IS STAFFED BY OUR SOCIAL WORK TEAM DURING BUSINESS HOURS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND IS AVAILABLE TO ANYONE SEEKING INFORMATION, SUPPORT, PATIENT NAVIGATION, OR RESOURCE REFERRALS (MEDICAL ADVICE IS NOT PROVIDED).OUR WOMAN TO WOMAN PROGRAM IS A PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH GYNECOLOGIC CANCER. OCRA OFFERS BOTH A NATIONAL WOMAN TO WOMAN PROGRAM AND PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HELP HOSPITALS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS START LOCAL WOMAN TO WOMAN PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE NOW AT MORE THAN 35 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR STAYING CONNECTED SUPPORT SERIES, WHICH LAUNCHED IN 2020, NOW OFFERS FOUR WEEKLY GROUPS AND TWO MONTHLY GROUPS WHICH ENABLES ALL IMPACTED BY OVARIAN OR RELATED GYNECOLOGIC CANCERS A WAY TO LEARN, SHARE, AND CONNECT. OUR NEWEST PROGRAM EXPRESS YOURSELF OFFERS A COMBINATION OF THERAPEUTIC ARTS, POETRY, AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES. OCRA PARTNERS WITH INSPIRE.COM TO OFFER AN ONLINE SUPPORT COMMUNITY THAT HAS OVER 65,000 MEMBERS WORLD-WIDE. OCRA IS COMMITTED TO ENCOURAGING THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO FOCUS ON THE CRITICAL NEEDS OF THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH GYNECOLOGIC CANCER, WHETHER BENCH OR BEDSIDE. IN 2021, WE LAUNCHED OCRA'S ONCOLOGY SOCIAL WORK FIELD PLACEMENT, ACCEPTING TOP MASTER'S OF SOCIAL WORK CANDIDATES TO TRAIN WITH OUR LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.OCRA'S SURVIVORS TEACHING STUDENTS (STS) PROGRAM TRAINS OVARIAN CANCER SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS TO CONDUCT PRESENTATIONS IN MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO EDUCATE FUTURE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER. SURVIVORS SHARE THEIR STORIES OF DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND BEYOND, ALONG WITH FACTS ABOUT THE DISEASE. IN 2021, MORE THAN 950 SURVIVOR VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED PRESENTATIONS AT 369 SCHOOLS IN 38 STATES (AS WELL AS UK, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA), AND REACHED OVER 9500 MEDICAL, NURSING, AND PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT STUDENTS. THESE PRESENTATIONS HELP ENSURE THAT THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN IDENTIFY THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER, HELPING ENSURE A TIMELY DIAGNOSIS.OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH ALLIANCE IS A POWERFUL VOICE FOR EVERYONE TOUCHED BY OVARIAN CANCER, AND IS THE VOICE FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER ON CAPITOL HILL, IN STATEHOUSES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES. EACH YEAR OCRA PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN HELPING TO SECURE ABOUT $170 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. IN ADDITION, OUR ADVOCATE LEADER PROGRAM TRAINS MEMBERS OF THE OVARIAN CANCER COMMUNITY TO RAISE AWARENESS THROUGH NEWS ARTICLES AND OUTREACH, DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND FIGHT FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS PROGRAM, OCRA ALSO PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE UNITING THE COMMUNITY. OCRA'S 80+ COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE OUTSTANDING GRASSROOTS, LOCAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY WHO SHARE A COMMITMENT TO ERADICATE OVARIAN CANCER THROUGH RESEARCH, ADVOCACY, SUPPORT, EDUCATION AND AWARENESS. THE GOAL OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS INITIATIVE IS TO UNITE THE OVARIAN CANCER COMMUNITY INTO A NATIONAL MOVEMENT, SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE THROUGH INFORMATION SHARING, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, AND BEST PRACTICES.