Discovery to Cure

Physicians and scientists in Yale Gynecologic Oncology have helped to advance the practice of modern medicine and pioneered viable new treatments for cancer patients currently in use today: from the creation of an early detection program for ovarian cancer in 1990 to the development of the latest drug to enhance combination chemotherapy for ovarian cancer patients whose cancer cells have become resistant to chemotherapy.

A new program in Yale Gynecologic Oncology called Discovery to Cure: Advancing the Prevention, Early Detection & Treatment of Women's Reproductive Cancers seeks to achieve accurate detection of ovarian and other reproductive cancers at their earliest stages while offering women at increased risk for cancer with high quality, compassionate clinical care. The program has three vital efforts working in concert:

• Early detection
• Exceptional care and treatment
• Development of novel treatments

The early detection program seeks to test and put into practice three novel approaches for screening for women's reproductive cancers. These include:

• Genomics - the study of genes and their function
• Proteomics - the study of proteins
• Radiological Imaging - Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound

The clinical program comprises a dedicated team of physicians, scientists, nurses, genetic counselors, geneticists and ancillary staff all committed to providing a comprehensive, world class approach to:

• The latest surgical interventions and post-operative treatment
• Risk assessments, including genetic counseling and physical examinations
• New diagnostic imaging and ultrasound technologies
• Opportunities for women with normal physical and ultrasound examinations and women with ovarian cancer to participate in approved studies targeted at developing new treatments

The direct connection between the laboratory and the clinic is what makes the Discovery to Cure program truly unique. The laboratory efforts include molecular and cellular research conducted in a technology development laboratory and a clinical trials laboratory focusing on new treatments and approaches to diagnosis and prevention of the diseases.

The research agenda within Discovery to Cure focuses on translational scientific research leading to development of novel therapeutics, new targeted therapies, identification of disease markers and new methods of prevention.

Discovery to Cure is a site for the development of the latest clinical trials and new treatments. An ongoing collaboration and unique partnership between Discovery to Cure and leading pharmaceutical companies provides the opportunity for Yale to secure trials for the study of new compounds to be used for treatment and new techniques for diagnosis.

Discovery to Cure has current partnerships with more than ten pharmaceutical companies, the National Institutes of Health, and the Gynecologic Oncology Group. This will mean that patients participating in Discovery to Cure will always be certain that they will be treated with state-of-the-art therapy if they have cancer and state-of-the-art diagnostic studies if they are participating in the early detection program.

Discovery to Cure is far more than a high-quality clinical program combined with the latest cutting-edge research. It is hope for the future of medicine and a pledge to develop vital new approaches to identify women's reproductive cancers at the earliest stages and to pioneer therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.