Since 1999, I have been an active member of MD Anderson's renowned gynecologic diagnostic pathology team, contributing to the multidisciplinary care of patients with gynecologic cancer. As an experienced investigator in ovarian cancer research, I have published over 280 papers with more than 23,000 citations, reflecting an H-index of 86. Notably, my laboratory generated the first genetically defined model from transformed human ovarian epithelial cells. We were also among the first to elucidate the crucial autocrine and paracrine mechanisms driving ovarian cancer progression through NF-κB activation between epithelial cells and senescent stromal cells. In a recent groundbreaking discovery, my group was among pioneers in the brand-new field of cancer biology. Our lab has shown that polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCC), previously thought to be non-dividing senescent cancer cells, exhibit characteristics akin to blastomere-like stage embryo capable multilineage differentiation and perpetuate through their own life cycle. This finding has significant implications, as PGCCs serve as the origin for tumor initiation, drug resistance, and dormancy. Recently, my laboratory has shown that targeting PGCCs can improve the therapeutic efficacy and attenuate the therapeutic resistance.

As the principal investigator (PI) of an NIH-funded R01 grant in the past and co-investigator on several other NIH grants related to ovarian cancer, I have successfully secured funding for my research endeavors. Additionally, I serve as the PI of the tissue pathology core for MD Anderson's Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) in Ovarian Cancer and hold PI positions on multi-investigator grants from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Moreover, I oversee MD Anderson's core resource of tissue pathology for patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) for ovarian cancer, where we have established a cohort of nearly 70 PDX models and tissue microarray for 800 patients. Currently, we are also in the process of developing organoids from each model and primary cancer, further expanding our research capabilities. I have effectively managed a productive research group and fostered collaborations with numerous investigators at MD Anderson and worldwide. With the goal of construct of human ovarian cancer atlas network, this U01 application aligns perfectly with our team's expertise and resources. Together with our PIs, we possess the necessary skills to successfully execute the proposed work in this application.