Lay summary
Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of death in New Zealand women with a mortality rate of over 60% which is the highest among gynaecological cancers. Nearly all ovarian cancer patients face a traumatising and incurable phase. Cancer cells adapt various mechanisms to overcome drug-induced toxicity. By targeting these mechanisms, we may be able to develop novel therapies for ovarian cancers that would otherwise be unlikely to respond to the standard treatment. Our preliminary work provided some evidence indicating the therapeutic value of the multi-targeting approach in ovarian cancer. In addition, the proposed study also involves the development and investigation of novel drug combinations and drug delivery system capable of multitargeting and delivering drugs specifically at the tumour site. The findings will help to explore better and alternative treatments for clinically challenging ovarian cancer, where the goals are currently the palliation of symptoms, thus improving health and wellbeing.