Determinants of immunotherapy response in NASH-related liver cancer

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

This grant studies why hepatocellular carcinoma arising from NASH may not respond as well to immune therapy and how combining immune medicines with other targeted inhibitors could improve outcomes. Researchers will use 3D cell cultures and animal models to explore immune interactions and resistance mechanisms, focusing on KIT/MAPK/WNT pathways and CTNNB1 mutations. They plan to identify gene signatures and potential biomarkers that predict response to treatment and test combination strategies to overcome immune evasion. The work could lead to more precise treatments for a subset of liver cancer patients who currently have limited benefit from standard immunotherapies.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  New York, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Llovet, Josep M — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Study coordinator: Llovet, Josep M

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

• Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Platform for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

  A Johns Hopkins study will test immune-based therapy given before surgery to shrink liver cancer and help prevent recurrence.

  NIH research Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, United States · NIH-11330677

• Predicting early harms and biomarkers in liver cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

  This grant aims to identify early signs of serious side effects and find blood biomarkers that predict toxicity or good response in people with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immunotherapy.

  NIH research University of California, San Francisco · San Francisco, United States · NIH-11302318

• Catheter-guided nanoparticle delivery of anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy to liver tumors

  It delivers PD-L1 blocking immunotherapy directly into liver tumors through a catheter using nanoparticle carriers for people with hepatocellular carcinoma.

  NIH research Northwestern University · Chicago, United States · NIH-11294290

• Image-guided device to deliver immunotherapy and heat to liver tumors

  This project uses a special image-guided device to put immune-boosting medicine and controlled heat directly into liver tumors for people with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

  NIH research University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · Houston, United States · NIH-11283934

• Why immunotherapy works less well for NASH-related liver cancer

  This project tests whether adding drugs that block KIT/MAPK/Wnt pathways to immunotherapy helps people with NASH-related liver cancer respond better.

  NIH research Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · New York, United States · NIH-11144259

• Using immunotherapy before surgery to improve outcomes in liver cancer

  This study is looking at how giving immunotherapy before surgery can help boost the immune system's ability to fight liver cancer, and it's for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who are preparing for surgery.

  NIH research Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, United States · NIH-11093523

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.