Three female researchers wearing lab coats looking at and pointing to information on a computer screen

Research

You’re helping us find better and kinder treatments for ovarian cancer today – and one day a cure.

We fund pioneering research to stop ovarian cancer devastating lives 

We’re here to help everyone affected by ovarian cancer live better lives today – and have hope for the future. That’s why Target Ovarian Cancer invests in urgently needed research to find new, kinder and more targeted treatments.

The research projects you help us fund are designed and delivered by passionate researchers, dedicated to improving the lives of women with ovarian cancer.

Our research grants help get their ideas from the lab to the hospital – from trials to treatments. Like Professor Charlie Gourley at the University of Edinburgh, whose research funding from Target Ovarian Cancer since 2019 has helped his team discover a new, more effective and targeted treatment for low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

From genetics to immunotherapy, the research teams we fund are developing critical new skills, understanding and experience. Together, they’re working to improve outcomes and find better, more personalised treatments. 

We’re excited about what their research can deliver for everyone diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK. But we want to do so much more. 

Because right now, we can’t afford to fund all the high quality research applications we receive. 

How we choose our research projects 

We need our research funding to go to the best people, running the best projects. That’s why we ask leading ovarian cancer researchers to advise us on the research topics and areas that most need investment.

Our expert Scientific Advisory Board – a group of highly experienced scientists, researchers and clinicians – also reviews all of the grant applications we receive to make recommendations on the projects that will have real scientific impact.

Our panel of Research Champions – made up of women and families affected by ovarian cancer – bring a ‘patient’ perspective to our research decisions. 

Their lived experience helps us judge the value of each potential research outcome to anyone diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and they are a vital part of our funding process.

Research impact

Here are some key impact data for our research programme.

  • 12

    12

    new research projects funded

    awarding a total of £1,867,982

  • £1.04

    £1.04

    For every £1 spent on research

    a further £1.04 has been leveraged in additional funding

  • 5,500

    5,500

    people accessed our clinical trials information

    in the last year, helping connect women with ovarian cancer to potentially life-saving trials