UTEP researcher finds potential new treatment for aggressive ovarian cancer

EL PASO, Texas (Dec. 1, 2025) – Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso have found a promising new target in the fight against high-grade serous carcinoma, an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Less than 50 percent of women survive five years after diagnosis, according to the team.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports shows that Claudin-4, a protein that increases in ovarian cancer, may be the culprit behind the cancer’s resistance, helping tumors both survive and hide from the body’s natural defense, the immune system. The study was led by UTEP postdoctoral researcher Fabian R. Villagomez, Ph.D., and Benjamin G. Bitler, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado Anschutz.

The research team studied tumors growing in animal models that have an immune system similar to humans. Targeting Claudin-4 helped the immune system better find and attack the tumors, making the cancer more vulnerable to treatment.

Villagomez explained that cancer cells often carry alterations in their genetic material that make them more aggressive and grow uncontrollably. But if these alterations become too extreme, the immune system can detect and attack the tumor.

“Claudin-4 seems to help the tumor deal with these genetic changes, allowing it to survive, hide from the immune system, and avoid cell death,” said Villagomez, who works in the Department of Biological Sciences at the UTEP College of Science.

The team tested a peptide called CMP, which can block Claudin-4, along with a drug called a PARP inhibitor, commonly used to treat ovarian cancer.

The combination was effective, the team said. When applied together, tumor growth slowed and the body’s immune system worked better than before at fighting the cancer.

While the treatment has not yet been tested in humans, Villagomez plans to continue studying ovarian cancer and Claudin-4. He hopes to build a research network with other universities to combine efforts and one day help get the treatment to patients.

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 26,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.