A new mouse model to study intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and its immunotherapy
Official title: A new mouse model for studying the pathogenesis and immunobiology of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and improving its immunotherapy
Funded at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute · NIH-11413830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new mouse model helps researchers understand intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and test immune-based treatments to improve outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $695,955 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA281784-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413830 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or high-risk individuals who may benefit from future ICC-focused therapies and related liver cancer trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers not related to ICC or without access to immunotherapy trials may not benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
This project creates a mouse model that mimics intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a deadly liver cancer, to study how the cancer interacts with the immune system. Researchers will test immune therapies and combinations to overcome the tumor’s immunosuppressive environment. The work aims to identify mechanisms that make ICC resistant to current immunotherapies and to find strategies that make treatments more effective. With this model, scientists hope to accelerate translating discoveries into therapies for patients with ICC and related liver cancers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better immunotherapy options for ICC patients and earlier, more effective treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous models helped study ICC, but this model addresses unique immunosuppressive features to improve therapy responses.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karin, Michael — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Karin, Michael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Radiation plus a patient’s own immune cells to boost cholangiocarcinoma treatment
This project tests a therapy that combines precise radiation and the patient’s own dendritic cells with immune drugs to help fight intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in people who cannot have surgery.
-
New mouse model to improve immune therapy for intrahepatic bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma) cancer
This project builds a new mouse model to help make immune-based treatments work better for people with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a type of bile duct liver cancer.
-
Using radiation and your own immune cells to boost immunotherapy for intrahepatic bile-duct (liver) cancer
This approach combines focused liver radiation, injections of your own dendritic immune cells, and two immune drugs to try to help people with unresectable intrahepatic bile-duct cancer live longer without the disease getting worse.
-
Combining radiation and immune cells to enhance treatment for liver cancer
This study is testing a new way to help people with a tough type of liver cancer by using strong radiation along with special immune cells from their own body to boost their immune system and help them live longer without the cancer getting worse.
-
A new mouse model to study liver cancer and improve its treatment
This study is looking at a tough type of liver cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and is testing a new mouse model to learn more about how the immune system interacts with this cancer, hoping to find better treatment options that work alongside current therapies.
-
Understanding how tumor variety affects bile duct cancer (iCCA)
Researchers will study how differences within a single tumor and between primary and metastatic sites influence disease progression and treatment response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, using human samples and mouse models.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.