MCI researchers receive gift from Norma Livingston Foundation to study ovarian cancer

Ashley Thompson of the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation, third from left, presents a donation to researchers at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, including Kevin Lee, Ph.D., center, and Jennifer Scalici, M.D., right.

Researchers at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute have been awarded $30,000 from the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation to continue studying ovarian cancer, the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers.

Jennifer Scalici, M.D., director of the Gynecologic Oncology Research Laboratory and a professor of interdisciplinary clinical oncology at the MCI, said the funds will be used to study how ovarian cancer develops. Kevin Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor of research at the MCI, is collaborating with Scalici on the project.

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, according to the American Cancer Society, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Only about 20% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when it is more treatable.

“Ovarian cancer currently is very difficult to screen for, or identify, at early stages; therefore, it’s really important to understand how it develops and what drives it,” Scalici said. “This project can help us understand that process at a metabolic level, and perhaps predict response to treatment.”

The Norma Livingston Foundation, based in Birmingham, aims to raise funds for ovarian cancer research; increase awareness about the risks, symptoms and treatment of the disease; and provide assistance to those undergoing treatment. The foundation was established in January 2004 by Lori Livingston, who lost her mother, Norma, to ovarian cancer.

“We are honored to have the continued support of the Norma Livingston Foundation,” Scalici said. “I am also proud to say that the funding and the research are 100% local to the state of Alabama.”

Since joining the MCI in 2012, Scalici has led research on ovarian cancer carcinogenesis and chemoprevention, as well as the active DNA damage and repair mechanisms and the metabolic changes underlying gynecologic cancers. Scalici was named the recipient of the 2021 Mayer Mitchell Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, which includes a $10,000 award. Her work also has been supported by grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.