Current Research

person holding petri dish with colorful content toward camera

MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My current research focus is on Translation Science, which includes biomarker development for clinical trials, immunotherapy in gynecologic cancer, developmental therapeutics, personalized medicine, and targeted therapy – (ie.Wnt pathway, PARP inhibition). Ultimately, I would like to use the preclinical data generated in my lab to drive development of new clinical trials.

various glass containers used for lab testing

CURRENT CLINICAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

  1. EAE 161: Perfusion CT to Predict Progression-Free Survival and Response Rate in Bevacizumab and Paclitaxel Treatment of Platinum-Resistant Persistent or Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Peritoneal Carcinoma (Role: Site PI).
  2. UAB 1879: Phase 2 Multicohort Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Novel Treatment Combinations in Patients with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer (OPAL) (Role: Site PI).
  3. UAB 1788: Pilot Study of Daily Exemestane in Women with Complex Atypical Hyperplasia of the Endometrium / Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia or Low 3Grade Endometrial Cancer (Role: Site PI).
  4. UAB 1861: An Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 1b/2 Study of Rebastinib (DCC-2036) in Combination with Paclitaxel to Assess Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors (Role: Site PI).
  5. UAB 17105: A Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of DKN-01 as a Monotherapy or in Combination with Paclitaxel in Patients with Recurrent Epithelial Endometrial or Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (Role: National PI).
  6. UAB 1921: Cabozantinib plus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in patients with recurrent Gynecologic Carcinosarcoma (Investigator Initiated Trial; Role: National PI).
  7. UAB 1801: Phase 1 trial of CB-839 in Combination with Niraparib in platinum resistant BRCA-wild type Ovarian Cancer Patients (Investigator Initiated Trial; Role: National PI).
  8. UAB 1885: Phase 1 Trial of M4344 and Niraparib in patients with PARP resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (Investigator Initiated Trial; Role: National PI).
  9. UAB 18107: A Phase 2, Single Arm Study of Atezolizumab + Bevacizumab in women with advanced, recurrent or persistent endometrial cancer (Role: Co-PI).
  10. UAB 1935: The OVAL Study: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Arm, Double-Blind, Multi-Center Study of Orangemen Badinage (VB-111) Combined with Paclitaxel vs. Paclitaxel Combined with Placebo for the Treatment of Recurrent Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer (Role: National Co-PI).
  11. UAB 1983: A Randomized Phase 3, Double-Blind Study of Chemotherapy with or Without Pembrolizumab Followed by Maintenance with Olaparib or Placebo for the First-Line Treatment of BRCA non-mutated Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) (KEYLYNK-001 / ENGOT-ov43) (Role: National Co-PI).
  12. UAB 1977: A Phase Ib, First-in-Human, Dose Escalation and Expansion Study of XMT-1536 In Patients with Solid Tumors Likely to Express NaPi2b (Role: Site PI).


RESEARCH SUPPORT:

Current

1. GOG Foundation Scholar Investigator Award

            Dates: 7/2019-6/2024

            Amount: $136,275 (Arend, PI)

2. NCCN YIA Award: The role of TGF-B in immune suppression in suboptimally debulked ovarian cancer patients

Dates: 07/01/2018 – 06/30/2020

Amount: $75,000 (Arend, PI)

3. Task Order Request for Proposal (TORLFP) Grant sponsored by the NCI/Division of Prevention, Pilot Study of Daily Exemestane In Women with Complex Atypical Hyperplasia of the Endometrium or Low-Grade Endometrial Cancer

            Dates: 01/01/2016 – 01/01/2020

            Amount: $23,188 (Arend, Sub Investigator)

4. NIH Loan Repayment Program Award

            Dates:10/01/2016 – 10/01/2020

Amount: $150,000 (Arend, PI)    

5. DOD Early Career Investigator Grant

Dates: 7/1/2018 – 2/1/2022

Amount: $1,076,624 (Arend, PI)

6. DOD Nested Young Investigator Award

            Dates: 5/1/2018 – 4/1/2022

Amount: $840,782 (Birrer, PI) (Arend, Co-Investigator)

7. UAB School of Medicine AMC21 Multi-PI Grant

Dates: 1/2018 – 12/2020

Amount: $300,000 (Troy D. Randall, Donald J. Buchsbaum, Rebecca Arend, Co-PIs)

8. R01 CA225177  NIH/NCI      

            Dates: 04/01/19 –  03/31/24    

Amount: $213,000 (PI: Bellis) (Arend, Co- Investigator)

9. A Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of DKN-01 as a Monotherapy or in Combination with Paclitaxel in Patients with Recurrent Epithelial Endometrial or Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

            Dates: 12/21/2017 – 12/20/2022

            Amount: $588,993 (Arend, National PI)

10. Investigator Initiated Trial: Phase 1 Trial of M4344 and Niraparib in patients with PARP resistant recurrent ovarian cancer

Dates: 04/08/2019 – 04/07/2024

Amount: $588,729 (Arend, PI)

11. Investigator Initiated Trial: Cabozantinib plus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab patients with recurrent Gynecologic Carcinosarcoma (uterine, vaginal, ovarian)

            Dates: 04/05/2019 – 04/04/2024

            Amount: $750,473.25 (Arend, PI)

12. Investigator Initiated Trial: A Phase 2, Single Arm Study of Atezolizumab + Bevacizumab in Women with Advanced, Recurrent or Persistent Endometrial Cancer

            Dates: 07/20/2019 – 07/19/2024

            Amount: $702,255 (Arend, Co-PI)

13. Investigator Initiated Trial: A phase 1 trial of CB-839 in Combination with Niraparib in platinum resistant BRCA-wild type Ovarian Cancer Patients

            Dates: 06/24/2019 – 06/23/2024

            Amount: $881,224.72 (Arend, PI)

14. GCS Foundation Grant: Investigating Immunotherapy Biomarkers for Carcinosarcoma

            Dates: 05/01/2020 – 05/01/2022

            Amount: $170,000

Completed

1. U10 NIH Grant Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Tumor Profiling in Ovarian Cancer: Genomic and Proteomic Analysis

            Dates: 04/28/2014 – 04/28/2019 (Arend, Sub Investigator)

2. Faculty Development Grant

            Dates: 7/10/17 – 7/10/18

            Amount: $50,000 (Klug, Co-PI) (Arend, Co-PI)

3. Center for Genomic Medicine (CGM) Pilot Grant

Dates: 10/1/2017 – 10/1/2018

Amount: $75,000 (Yang, PI) (Arend, Co-Investigator)

4. ACS-IRG Junior Faculty Development Grant

            Dates: 03/01/2016 – 12/31/2018

Amount: $40,000 (Arend, PI)

5. NCTN-LAPS Program Translational Research Initiative

             Dates: 08/01/2015 – 08/01/2016

            Amount: $20,000 (Arend, Co-Investigator)

6. Foundation for Women’s Cancer Research Grant (WeRoc/OChO Ovarian Cancer Research Grant)

            Dates: 04/01/2014 – 05/01/2015

            Amount: $50,000 (Arend, PI)

7. Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Research Grant                                                                                            

            Dates: 06/01/2014 – 06/01/2015

            Amount: $75,000 (Arend, PI)

8. Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Research Grant                                                                                            

            Dates: 07/01/2015 – 07/01/2019

Amount: $100,000 (Arend, PI)

9. Breast Cancer Research Foundation Award

            Dates: 07/01/2013 – 07/2015 (Arend, Co-Investigator)

10. NIH NRSA T-32 Training grant; Grant # T32CA091078                                                                                   

            Dates: 07/01/2013 – 07/01/2014

11. UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science Multidisciplinary Partner Network Pilot Program

            Dates: 04/1/2016 – 04/30/2017

            Amount $60,000 (Arend, PI)

12. CCC Translational Research Initiative Grant, RNA polymerase I in ovarian cancer

            Dates: 08/01/2016 – 08/01/2017

Amount: $20,000 (Arend, Co-PI)

13. Glycosylation-Dependent Mechanisms Regulating Ovarian Tumor Cell Survival; RO1 Grant

            Dates: 04/01/2015 – 09/01/2017

            Amount: $279,300 (Arend, Co-Investigator)

14. UAB NCTN LAPS Young Investigator Mentoring Program 

           Dates: 11/05/2015 – 11/05/2017

            Amount: $4,000 (Arend, PI)

15. Ovarian Early Detection Cancer Research Grant

            Foundation for Women’s Cancer

            Dates: 04/01/2016 – 02/28/2018

            Amount: $25,000 (Arend, PI)

16. Wilma Williams Education and Clinical Research Grant for Endometrial Cancer

            SGO/Foundation for Women’s Cancer

            Dates: 01/01/2016 – 12/31/2017

            Amount: $10,000 (Arend, PI)

17. American Institute for Cancer Research  

Dates: 01/01/2015 – 12/31/2017

Amount: $150,000 TDC (Arend, Sub Investigator) (Gower, PI)

18. ABOG/AAOGF Scholarship Award

            Dates:07/01/2015 – 07/01/2018

            Amount: $360,000 (Arend, PI)

19. CCC Faculty Development Pilot Grant

            Dates: 08/01/2017 – 08/01/2018 (Yoon, PI) (Arend, Co-PI)

20. DNA methylation patterns in the immune system of ovarian cancer patients

            Laura Crandall Brown Foundation Grant

            Dates: 11/01/2015 – 11/01/2019

            Amount: $50,000 (Arend, Co-PI)

21. Personalized Medicine Project in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients

            UAB – Personalized Medicine Institute

            Dates: 09/01/2015 – 09/01/2019

            Amount: $150,000 (Arend, PI)

22. CCC Young Investigator Award

            Dates: 7/16/2018 – 7/15/2019

            Amount: $50,000 (Arend, Co-PI)