Dr Ailsa Oswald
University of Edinburgh
Awarded: £74,664
The challenge
Uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) is the most common uterine sarcoma and often returns even after surgery. Treatments for advanced disease are limited, and chemotherapy can be ineffective and comes with side effects. There is an urgent need for better targeted therapies and ways to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from them.
How will this project tackle this challenge?
This research will investigate new treatment options for uLMS and search for markers that help match patients to the most effective therapies.
- Testing targeted drugs: The team will analyse stored tumour samples to determine whether uLMS cancers have specific features that could predict the effectiveness of promising targeted drug treatments, such as PARP inhibitors.
- Molecular analysis: Detailed staining and genetic sequencing will reveal how these cancers behave and which tumours may respond best.
- Building a future resource: Data generated through this project will provide a resource for future projects and other researchers.
What this means for people affected by sarcoma
This project could lead to more effective and better-tolerated treatment options for people with uLMS, and provide a vital resource to accelerate future research into uterine sarcomas.
