In Concert for Cancer Helps Power the Future of Ovarian Cancer Prevention

Every year, In Concert for Cancer brings people together through music, hope, and a shared commitment to ending cancer. At the Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI), that commitment translates directly into momentum by fueling discoveries and supporting the people who will carry this mission forward.

This year, their partnership is helping accelerate one of the most ambitious goals in cancer research: preventing ovarian cancer before it starts. And at the heart of that effort is a rising scientist whose work represents the future of the field.

A Vision for Prevention

Ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers, largely because it’s usually diagnosed late and no early detection tests exist. At CVI, we’re working to change that. Alongside a Phase II therapeutic vaccine trial launching soon, our team is advancing research toward something even more transformative: a vaccine designed to prevent ovarian cancer in people at high risk.

This prevention-focused work is bold, long-term, and exactly the kind of innovation that philanthropy makes possible.

Supporting the Scientist Behind the Breakthrough

In Concert for Cancer’s support this year helps fund the work of Meera Suresh, a second‑year PhD student in the UW Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease program. Despite recent cuts to graduate student funding, we brought Meera onto the CVI team because training the next generation of cancer researchers is essential to progress.

Meera Suresh

Meera has dedicated her doctoral research to developing the ovarian cancer prevention vaccine. Her work focuses on teaching the immune system to recognize early precancerous changes long before cancer forms, with the goal of creating a durable, cancer‑killing response that can protect high‑risk individuals.

Over the next few years, Meera will identify the most promising vaccine targets and test them in preclinical models. Her findings will lay the foundation for the first human trial of an ovarian cancer prevention vaccine.

A Partnership That Shapes What’s Possible

In Concert for Cancer doesn’t just raise funds, they build a community that believes in the power of science, survivorship, and hope. Their support ensures that groundbreaking ideas move forward and that young scientists like Meera have the resources to pursue research that could change the future of ovarian cancer.

Together, we’re working toward a world where fewer families face this devastating disease, and where prevention becomes a reality.