Image-guided device to deliver immunotherapy and heat to liver tumors
An image-guided immunotherapy and hyperthermia delivery device to overcome barriers to tumor immunity for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11283934 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are developing a device called ImFusion that fits around a needle to keep medicines inside the tumor and not leak into healthy liver tissue. The device also generates controlled radiofrequency heat inside the tumor to help the immune system recognize cancer cells. The team will combine local delivery of immunotherapy with intratumoral hyperthermia and measure how well drugs stay in the tumor and whether local treatment sparks wider anti-cancer immune responses. The work includes image guidance and procedural testing at a cancer center so treatments can be targeted to tumors visible on scans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma whose tumors can be reached safely by image-guided intratumoral injection and who meet standard clinical eligibility (for example, adequate liver function and performance status) would be the most likely candidates.
Not a fit: People with widely scattered metastatic disease that cannot be treated with targeted injections, very poor liver function, or who cannot tolerate interventional procedures are less likely to benefit from this local approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make immunotherapy work better in liver cancer while lowering systemic side effects by keeping drugs focused inside tumors.
How similar studies have performed: Local tumor injections and tumor heating have shown promising signals in laboratory studies and small clinical reports, but combining a controlled delivery sleeve with intratumoral hyperthermia in a device like ImFusion is a novel approach that still needs clinical testing.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sheth, Rahul Anil — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Sheth, Rahul Anil
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.