The Whelan Lab
Research in the Whelan lab is motivated by the need to detect and treat ovarian cancer in its early stages. We approach the problem of ovarian cancer detection with a diverse tool kit drawn from bioanalytical chemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and nanoscience.
Recent Whelan Group News
September 23, 2025 - Our most recent publication, "Characterization of M11-like and OC125-like monoclonal antibody binding to CA125 tandem repeats," has been published in Biosensors. The KU-based team included Trisha Nair, Caitlin McEntee, Chien-Wei Wang, Anubhuti Srivastava, Jane March, and Eliza Hanson. Congratulations to all!
September 15, 2025 - Our recent study on the structure of ovarian cancer biomarker CA125 has been highlighted by the University of Kansas Health System. We are honored to have our team's work featured in this venue. The article can be found at: Research on ovarian cancer biomarker
June 25, 2025 - The Whelan lab has been named as the recipients of the KU Department of Chemistry's Sutton Family Research Impact Award for May 2025. This award is given monthly to recognize outstanding research publications from our department, and our recent publication in Cancers, "Mapping the Binding Sites of CA125-specific Antibodies on a Revised Molecular Model of MUC16," is being recognized. Congratulations to the research team!
May 27, 2025 - Today we welcome three new undergraduate researchers to the group for the summer. Welcome, Lily, Spencer, and Owen! Looking forward to doing some great science together!
May 26, 2025 - Another publication! "Peritoneal cavity-derived small extracellular vesicles from aged tumor-näive hosts promotes ovarian cancer and invasion" has been accepted for publication in Cell Communication and Signaling. This work was in collaboration with Professor Sharon Stack (University of Notre Dame). Congratulations to the whole team!