Dr John Hooper's Story

Clinical trial gives hope to those living with ovarian cancer

Your support of Mater Cars for Cancer is helping to change the lives of women living with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, through supporting the work of Mater Researchers.

Professor John Hooper and his team are making remarkable strides in the fight against ovarian cancer. A culmination of 24 years of dedicated research in this field has led to a groundbreaking Phase 1 clinical trial at Mater Hospital in Brisbane.

Clinical trials are an essential component of healthcare. They provide the evidence to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new treatments and diagnostics and provide improved treatment options for patients who don’t respond to current treatments.

The first patient trial of Professor Hooper’s new ovarian cancer theranostic targeting agent is now underway. Up to 30 ovarian cancer patients will participate in the trial to evaluate the safety and biodistribution of the new agent. The ultimate goal is to understand whether it can determine how far the patient’s cancer has spread.

As a result of extensive preclinical studies using patient specimens, Professor Hooper’s team has shown that the new agent binds very strongly and specifically to a protein that is enriched on the surface of the cells of around 90% of patient tumours—meaning most ovarian cancer patients could benefit from this agent if the Phase 1 clinical trial is successful.

Nearly half of all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Queensland are treated at Mater, and this trial represents a bright beacon of hope for patients everywhere.

“Access to clinical trials means hope.”
– Professor John Hooper, Mater Research.

“Ovarian cancer for so long has been thought of as a silent killer—diagnosed at an advanced stage with limited treatment options. Thanks to research, we're offering patients improved and more individualised treatments, and hopefully with this research earlier diagnosis as well, which will be game changing,” Professor Hooper says.

Professor Hooper is hopeful that this patient trial will provide doctors with exceptionally accurate imaging of metastasising cancer and if successful will become the gold standard treatment for a wide range of metastatic ovarian, bladder, pancreas, breast and lung cancers.

When you purchase a Cars for Cancer ticket, you’re helping to fund groundbreaking clinical trials at Mater and your support means that Mater Researchers, like Professor Hooper, can continue to search for the next breakthrough in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Thank you.

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