2008 Recipient — Ronald Buckanovich, MD, PhD

Dr. Ronald Buckanovich

Ronald Buckanovich, MD, PhD

Tumor Blood Vessels in Ovarian Cancer Development, Diagnosis and for Treatment

Project Summary

Tumor blood vessels are different than normal blood vessels. Besides functioning differently than normal blood vessels, tumor blood vessels make unique proteins not made by normal blood vessels. With OCRF support, Dr. Buckanovich has identified more than 70 tumor vascular (or blood vessel) markers (TVMs) associated with ovarian cancer. In his study, Dr. Buckanovich plans to research how these TVMs could be possible targets for new drugs to treat ovarian cancer. Antibodies against the TVMs, for example, could stop the growth of blood vessels that support tumor growth and hence stop disease progression. He also will study if TVMs could be used for early detection and monitoring disease progression because TVMs are found in the blood. Finally, understanding the role TVMs play in supporting the growth of cancer stem cells, a population of cancer cells that keeps a tumor growing, could also lead to new treatments that prevent the process.

This grant is partially funded by a generous grant from the estate of Carol F. Bleeker.

Bio

Professor of Medicine
Director of the Ovarian Cancer Center of Excellence
Co-Director of the Womens Cancer Research Center
Magee-Womens Research Institute
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
University of Pittsburgh

Ronald Buckanovich graduated from Cornell University in 1990 with a B.S. in Genetics and Biochemistry. He then completed the Medical Scientist Training Program and started his life-long study of ovarian cancer.  He received his Ph.D. in 1996 from the Rockefeller University and his M.D. in 1998 from Cornell University. Dr. Buckanovich then went on to complete an Internal Medicine residency and a Hematology-Oncology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During his fellowship he continued his research on ovarian cancer, identifying dozens of novel clinical targets and helped to develop a novel therapeutic to enhance tumor vaccine therapy. Dr. Buckanovich joined the University of Michigan as ascended to the ranks of Associate Professor.  There he also served an associate director for the Hematology Oncology Fellowship.  In 2017 Dr. Buckanovich was recruited to the Magee Women’s Research Institute and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center of the University of Pittsburgh as a Professor of Medicine and serves as the Director of Ovarian Cancer Center of Excellence and Co-Director of the Women’s Cancer Research Center.  His lab has identified a novel population of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) which may be responsible for ovarian cancer metastasis, chemotherapy resistance and ultimately disease recurrence.  His laboratory also identified and characterized a novel population of cancer associated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)—normal cells recruited by the cancer to help the cancer grow. His laboratory is now studying the factors which regulate CSCs and MSCs including regulators of asymmetric division and quiescence.  His laboratory work has resulted in the initiation of 4 translational clinical trials for the treatment of ovarian cancer.  In addition, his group has identified two novel compounds which are now being developed for first in human clinical trials; one which blocks the ability of cancer cells to metastasize, and a second which selectively kills the cancer stem-like cells to reverse chemotherapy resistance. Based on the knowledge he has gained studying the tumor microenvironment, his group is now also looking at ways to enhance anti-tumor immune therapy by targeting host cells in the tumor.

In addition to his laboratory studies, Dr. Buckanovich has a busy clinical practice, specializing in the treatment of ovarian and uterine cancers. He is currently the principal investigator of two clinical trials at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been an author or co-author of 70 original research articles.  In recognition of his work, Dr. Buckanovich received a Clinical Investigator Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health New Innovator – Directors Award, Society of Gynecologic Oncology Best Basic Science Award, and he has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigators.