In vivo proof-of-principle for the therapeutic ablation of leader cells to achieve sustained tumour regression and chemosensitisation in ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is highly lethal with limited effective treatment options in late stages. A subset of ovarian cancer cells, called leader cells, drive cancer spread and contribute to chemotherapy resistance. This thesis investigated the impact of combining leader cell targeting with the chemotherapy drug, carboplatin in a novel mouse model of ovarian cancer. It demonstrated that combined leader cell targeting with carboplatin reduced tumour burden and improved the anti-tumour immune response, therefore could be a promising strategy for treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.