On the Cancer Research Frontier: Meera Suresh Takes Steps Toward Ovarian Cancer Prevention

On the Cancer Research Frontier is a series spotlighting the scientists, doctors, nurses, patients, and philanthropists at the Cancer Vaccine Institute. Join us in meeting the brilliant minds behind our cancer vaccines and immunotherapies as they share their professional journeys and personal stories.

On the dance floor, Meera Suresh moves her body rhythmically to the lively percussion, her facial expressions sharp and focused. Her arms move in angular patterns to the beat while her feet support her every movement. To dance as precisely as Suresh requires years of discipline, commitment, and concentration. Suresh has been studying Bharatanatyam, a form of Indian classical dance, for nearly her entire life. Along the way, she has learned to balance dance and academic and research pursuits, showcasing both her tenacity and dedication to “the long game.”

“I’ve found that lots of dancers are researchers. I think that’s why I fell into research, even though no one I know in my family is in it. You have to have a sense of grit,” Suresh says.

The same drive extends beyond the dance studio. During her undergraduate studies, she had the opportunity to lead her own research project examining retinal degeneration, giving her the skills to look at a scientific project through multiple perspectives. 

Her undergraduate work sparked an interest in translational science, which she now focuses on in the Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease (M3D) program at UW Medicine. Translational science appealed to her because of its potential to impact patients, bringing them information that could improve their lives. 

“It’s the sweet spot where you can combine bench to bedside research, and I like the idea of focusing on research that has the potential to affect patients.”

Now, as a third-year PhD student in the M3D program, she uses these skills to tackle one of humanity’s most challenging diseases that affects thousands of patients and their loved ones: ovarian cancer. 

Suresh is advancing research on STICVAC, one of the vaccines being developed at the Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI), which is designed to target proteins found in serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC), a precancerous lesion. These lesions are believed to be the origin of most high-grade serous ovarian cancers. By targeting these lesions, Suresh hopes to shift from a therapeutic approach to a preventative one, intercepting ovarian cancer altogether.

“We’re gaining enough knowledge in biomedical research where we can focus on prevention.”

The shift is especially important for ovarian cancer: detecting the disease early remains a challenge, making preventative solutions even more urgent. Suresh will spend the next few years identifying the most promising vaccine targets, laying the foundation for the first human clinical trial in the next 3 - 5 years in patients at high risk for ovarian cancer. By advancing work on this vaccine, Suresh and the CVI are playing the long game toward one ambitious goal: to prevent the disease altogether. 

In the lab and on the dance floor, Suresh knows that meaningful progress doesn’t happen overnight. It takes commitment, patience, and persistence, one step at a time.