Blocking glutamine addiction in fibrolamellar liver cancer
Exploiting A Critical Vulnerability To Glutamine Antimetabolite Therapy in Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma (FLC)
This project is seeing if blocking tumor glutamine use together with immunotherapy can help people with fibrolamellar liver cancer, including adolescents and young adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294145 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I join, doctors would give a drug that interferes with the tumor’s use of glutamine and combine it with an immune checkpoint drug to try to restore my immune response to the cancer. The team found that the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion common in FLC makes tumors dependent on glutamine, and they will use that biology to guide treatment. My care would include blood tests and tumor or biopsy samples to check metabolic and immune changes in the tumor microenvironment. The project aims to move promising lab results into a clinical treatment plan tailored for people with FLC.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (often adolescents and young adults) whose tumors carry the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion or show glutamine dependence.
Not a fit: Patients with other types of liver cancer, those without glutamine-dependent tumors, or those with medical issues that prevent receiving the investigational drugs may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could shrink tumors and make immunotherapy work better for people with fibrolamellar liver cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical models showed strong responses to glutamine blockade plus immune checkpoint therapy, but clinical experience with glutamine antagonists in FLC is limited and this combination is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yarchoan, Mark — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Yarchoan, Mark
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 below.