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How patients are shaping the future of ovarian cancer prevention

As the UK’s leading ovarian cancer research charity, we know the importance of putting we know the importance of including patient voice at the heart of our life saving research.

Professor Ahmed Ahmed, at the University of Oxford, is working to create a first-of-its-kind vaccine, called OvarianVax, that could prevent ovarian cancer.

The groundbreaking research behind this project was initially funded by Ovarian Cancer Action and has now secured funding from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to help make it a reality.

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Professor Ahmed Ahmed

Faye Boswell, our Research Grants and Impacts Manager, talks us through a patient involvement workshop held with Professor Ahmed whilst he was developing this research and why the patient voice is crucial to pushing key research forward.

"In 2023, twelve of our amazing Ovarian Cancer Action Research Network volunteers participated in a workshop with Professor Ahmed from the University of Oxford. At the time, he was working on his application for funding to CRUK to build on research funded by Ovarian Cancer Action.

The aim of the workshop was for the women to input their expertise – based on their personal experience – on how acceptable a preventative vaccine for ovarian cancer would be. These amazing women have had or are currently receiving treatment for ovarian cancer, so are the best placed to work with researchers like Professor Ahmed to help make research more impactful for patients.

One of the key agreements from this workshop was that Professor Ahmed should explore the possibility of developing the vaccine as a skin injection, as well as the more invasive vaccine. The women believed this would most likely increase uptake of the vaccination once it was developed. This gave Professor Ahmed serious food for thought, and he went away and changed his project to explore ways of making this happen.

The women also highlighted the importance of increasing public awareness and education of ovarian cancer rates to ensure uptake of an eventual vaccine.

This is an excellent example of how researchers can work with patients during the research project development stage to make research more impactful, and the important role charities play to facilitate this.

A massive thank you to all the women who volunteered on this project to help make the research more impactful.

Ovarian Cancer Action will continue to be a partner in this project. As well as providing funding, we will work with Professor Ahmed in his new project developing the OvarianVax vaccine, to help ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of its development – ultimately ensuring that more women survive ovarian cancer.”

Ovarian Cancer Action will continue to be a partner in this project. As well as providing funding, we will work with Professor Ahmed in his new project developing the OvarianVax vaccine, to help ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of its development – ultimately ensuring that more women survive ovarian cancer.

Talking about the importance of patient's experience in his research, Professor Ahmed Ahmed says:

In collaboration with Ovarian Cancer Action, patient involvement will be a key aspect for the development of this vaccine.

We already had a great webinar, organised by Ovarian Cancer Action with ovarian cancer patients, that helped shape our plans for developing this vaccine.

We want to make sure that we listen to the needs of patients and their families when planning this work"

Ovarian cancer research starts and ends with you

Our Ovarian Cancer Action Research Network is a nationwide, virtual group of people affected by ovarian cancer who use their experience of the disease to help shape ovarian cancer research. Your personal experience of ovarian cancer – as a patient, survivor or carer – can influence ovarian cancer research and ensure it is relevant to patients and their loved ones.

You can make a real difference by getting involved with one of the many opportunities put forward by researchers to contribute to their latest research projects. Find out more about the joining the network and how to sign up.