Xiangshu Xiao, Ph.D., and his team were recently awarded $120,000 to develop a new therapy for drug-resistant ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer in the U.S., and drug resistance is a major contributing factor to the high mortality rate. Xiao, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, and his team have an issued patent on the drug-resistant therapy.

A $60,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust — Commercialization Initiation Program will support the team’s efforts to expand the target product profile to help women who are fighting ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer. To support the development of the team’s research, Technology Transfer and Business Development contributed another $60,000 through Oregon’s University Venture Development Fund.

TTBD also connected Xiao with prominent industry leaders, including investors, experienced entrepreneurs and pharmaceutical executives, to help position their research for development by industry for patient benefit. Not only did these industry connections completely change Xiao’s approach with his program, but they also resulted in a key letter of support.

See TTBD Innovator Spotlight: Xiangshu Xiao from 2016 and a School of Medicine interview with Xiao from 2015.

In 2016, Xiao received a $60,000 Biomedical Innovation Program award from Technology Transfer and Business Development and the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute for his novel lamin-binding ligands for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer.

Data obtained with that funding supported Xiao’s application for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant, which will allow Xiao to further evaluate and develop the drug as a possible treatment for ovarian cancer.