Rhonda’s Award 2027: The Netherlands Cancer Institute Wins $100,000 International Research Grant title
MOC-STAR Team at The Netherlands Cancer Institute Selected for $100,000 Rhonda’s Award 2027 Grant
The MOC-STAR team, led by Professor Dr. Christianne Lok, a gynecologic oncologist, and Dr. Frans Opdam, a medical oncologist, is one of two Rhonda’s Award 2027 recipients. The principal investigators are joined by Dr. Katrien Berns, basic scientist, and Dr. Tim Schutte, medical-oncologist, bringing together clinical and laboratory expertise in the study of mucinous ovarian cancer.
The MOC-STAR project takes its name from the therapeutic approach at its core: Mucineus Ovarium Carcinoom – Synergistic Targeted Avuto/Defactinib Regimen. The name reflects both the disease the team is targeting and the treatment strategy they are pursuing.
We asked the team to answer a few questions to help everyone get to know them, and the goals for their work.
Can you describe your research project in a sentence or two so a layperson could understand it?
MOC-STAR is a study for women with advanced Mucinous ovarian cancer, a rare type of ovarian cancer that often responds poorly to standard treatments.
In the study, patients will receive a promising new therapy that blocks two important survival pathways of mucinous cancer cells helping to reduce cancer growth more effectively than targeting either pathway alone. Molecular changes that drive each tumor will be investigated, bringing precision medicine directly into clinical care.
What drew your team to study a rare disease like Mucinous ovarian cancer?
The clinicians in our group witness the despair of patients with Mucinous ovarian cancer and their loved ones. Faced with a lack of effective treatment options, we often feel powerless. It feels unfair that knowledge, research efforts, and treatment possibilities are still falling behind compared to more common cancers.
This strengthens our determination to better understand the biology of this cancer type and to discover new molecular targets and innovative therapies that could offer hope to this rare group of patients.
What will this grant allow you to do that you couldn't do otherwise?
This grant will enable us to perform molecular analyses that are currently not feasible within routine clinical care or existing research budgets. In particular, we will be able to characterize the molecular drivers of Mucinous ovarian carcinoma in much greater detail, helping us understand why some tumors respond to the combination of Avutometinib and Defactinib while others do not.
These investigations are essential for moving beyond a "one-size-fits-all" approach. The knowledge gained will help identify the patients most likely to benefit from this targeted treatment combination and also avoid toxicity without benefit.
What's your hope for how this research changes outcomes for patients?
If the MOC-STAR study shows that this new treatment combination is effective, it could lead to a larger clinical trial, giving more patients access to the treatment. Ultimately, this could help make the therapy available to all patients with Mucinous ovarian cancer who may benefit from it, improving survival and offering new hope for women with this rare disease.
Is there anything else you want us or the Mucinous ovarian cancer community to know?
We are very grateful for this opportunity and will do our best to raise awareness about Mucinous ovarian cancer and support research into more effective treatments. As a rare disease, progress can only be achieved through collaboration between patients, advocates, researchers, clinicians, and industry partners.
We hope this work will ultimately lead to better outcomes and more treatment options for women affected by mucinous ovarian cancer.
We congratulate the MOC-STAR team on being a Rhonda’s Award winner and look forward to following your work!
Help Us Continue Making Rhonda’s Award Grants
Since our launch in September of 2020, Rhonda's Award grants have funded $300,000 in research. Past winners have come from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology at the University of Melbourne.
By making a donation today, you can help ensure that future researchers have the same opportunity that made projects like MOC-STAR possible. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps sustain this pipeline of discovery and brings us one step closer to better treatments — and better outcomes — for women facing difficult diagnoses.
If you are able, please considermaking an online donationtoday to support future Rhonda's Award grant recipients.
