Ovarian cancer has long been known as the ‘silent killer’, often diagnosed once it has spread, leaving women with limited treatment options and devastatingly low survival rates. Unlike breast or cervical cancer, there is no routine early detection test. But that could be about to change.
This month, Australian fashion brand CAMILLA AND MARC announced the next phase of its Ovaries. Talk About Them. campaign, a global awareness and fundraising initiative now entering its fifth year.
Since 2019, it has raised more than $2.5 million to fund ground-breaking research led by Professor Caroline Ford and her all-female team at the UNSW Gynaecological Cancer Research Group.
“We’re on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could fundamentally change outcomes for people with ovarian cancer around the world,” Professor Ford says. “Early detection is the missing piece – and we’re closer than ever to delivering it.”
A world-first test within reach
In 2024, Professor Ford’s team identified three unique DNA biomarkers that distinguish ovarian cancer cells from healthy ones. Unlike traditional protein blood markers such as CA125, which have proven unreliable in early detection, these DNA biomarkers can be measured with far greater sensitivity.
“So far, most of the work in detecting ovarian cancer has focused on proteins in blood,” Professor Ford explains. “Unfortunately, over many years of research, it has turned out that measurements of blood proteins just aren’t sensitive enough to pick up early-stage cancer. These new biomarkers could change the way ovarian cancer is detected because they aren’t protein – they’re DNA. And DNA can be measured much, much more sensitively.”
The next step is known as multiplexing: combining these three biomarkers into a single, robust blood test that can be trialled in clinical settings.
“We are now on the home stretch and are confident in our selection of ovarian cancer biomarkers,” Professor Ford says. “We are working hard to combine them in the best way to ensure that our test is as specific and as sensitive as possible.”
If successful, clinical trials could begin as early as 2026 – paving the way for the world’s first screening test for ovarian cancer.
Fashion with purpose
For siblings Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, founders of CAMILLA AND MARC, the campaign is deeply personal. Their mother, Pamela, was just 42 when she passed away, two short years after being diagnosed. What began as a mission to raise awareness has grown into a movement uniting science, fashion and community.
Camilla, the brand’s Creative Director, says: “We are incredibly optimistic that the wonderfully capable team is on track to take the first early detection test to clinical trial by 2026. Now, we need everyone to show up like never before, for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. If we get this across the line, we could change the future of women’s health globally.”
For Marc, the motivation is simple. “This campaign started as a personal mission – to fund a test that didn’t exist. Through the incredible commitment of our community, this dream is now within reach. We set a bold goal, but this campaign is an incredible example of what we can achieve when purpose drives business.”
The 2025 collection is made up of shirts, caps and totes with the slogans ‘How Much Are Your Ovaries Worth?’ and ‘It All Begins With Ovaries’, intended to spark conversation.
Women supporting women
The campaign has also shone a light on women in science. Professor Ford leads an all-female team, a rarity in medical research.
“Working in an all-female team has absolutely broadened the direction of our research,” she says. “Common life experiences like menstruation and endometriosis were tested early on in the project because they were front of mind when thinking about what might change the test signal and create incorrect results.”
And the urgency is clear. By 2050, annual ovarian cancer deaths are projected to rise by 70 per cent, reaching nearly 445,000 per year. Without intervention, those numbers will continue to climb. But as Professor Ford points out, there is reason for optimism.
“We want this test available as soon as possible, but we also need to get it right,” she says. “We’ve been meticulous and thorough in ensuring our test has the best chance of success and will be an effective and inclusive screening option.”
The CAMILLA AND MARC Ovaries. Talk About Them. range is available in-store and online now.
