Discovering new targets to treat ovarian cancer

Meet the scientist

Dr Conway says he has had an interest in science for as long as he can remember, and that David Attenborough’s documentaries likely had a big influence on his fascination with the diversity and adaptability of organisms on Earth. After losing his grandad to lymphoma at 18, he was driven to study cancer. 

Outside of the lab, Dr Conway is a big rugby fan. He and his wife, who is also a cancer researcher, are both big video game fans and find it a great way to relax after a busy day in the lab! 

The science

Dr Eric Conway and his team will use model cancer cells to look for proteins that PAX8 interacts with. The researchers will also use a method called ‘next generation sequencing’, which is a fast and affordable way to find the recipe of DNA, which could reveal how PAX8 helps cancer growth. They even plan to use some sequencing techniques that have never been used in Ireland before! 

The research team particularly want to test out the idea that a group of proteins, called BAF, are involved in working with PAX8. Previous studies hint that this might be the case, and there are already drugs that target BAF. That means a drug that takes advantage of this potential link to treat ovarian cancer could already exist. Dr Eric Conway hopes that their research approach could more quickly lead to clinical trials.