Image-guided device to deliver immunotherapy and heat to liver tumors
Official title: An image-guided immunotherapy and hyperthermia delivery device to overcome barriers to tumor immunity for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11283934 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 start | March 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $395,807 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA269622-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11283934 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
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
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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A device to improve immunotherapy delivery for liver cancer treatment
This study is testing a new device called the ImFusion system that helps deliver cancer-fighting treatments directly into liver tumors while also warming the area to boost the treatment's effectiveness, aiming to provide a better and safer option for people with advanced liver cancer.
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Determinants of immunotherapy response in NASH-related liver cancer
Aims to understand why some patients with NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma respond differently to immunotherapy and to identify biomarkers that predict who benefits.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.