New immune-target approach to help liver cancer patients
Official title: A Novel Target in The Tumor Myeloid Compartment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Funded at Virginia Commonwealth University · NIH-11395187 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new grant is exploring how a specific immune cell pathway in liver cancer could be targeted to improve treatment, especially for people with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project start | August 8, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $453,620 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA275740-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11395187 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with hepatocellular carcinoma or at risk for this cancer who could participate in future immune-based trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not matching liver cancer criteria or those unwilling to participate in immune-therapy research may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project will study a molecule called SRA/CD204 on immune cells within liver tumors to see if it helps cancer hide from the immune system. Researchers plan to use mouse models of liver cancer and engineered mice to test whether blocking SRA can boost the body’s ability to fight the tumor and work better with existing therapies. The team will look for the exact molecular pathways involved and test antibody-based strategies to block SRA as part of combination treatments. If successful, this work could point toward new options to improve how liver cancer responds to therapy. The study is led by Virginia Commonwealth University and aims to translate findings toward patient benefits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma may gain more effective treatment options that enhance immune responses against the tumor.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical data suggest that targeting immune checkpoints can improve anti-tumor responses in liver cancer; this project builds on that concept with a novel target.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Xiang-Yang Shawn — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Wang, Xiang-Yang Shawn
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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A funded project at a medical university aims to understand how the liver’s immune cells interact with a specific type of liver cancer by looking at metabolism, especially glutamine and ammonia.
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This project tests a new PET imaging approach to help diagnose and guide treatment for liver cancer in veterans.
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Blood markers to catch early liver cancer in Hispanic people with hepatitis B
This project will see if a blood test can find liver cancer earlier in Hispanic people who have chronic hepatitis B.
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Early blood markers to find hepatitis B–related liver cancer in Hispanics
This project will use immune-related blood markers to find liver cancer earlier in people with chronic hepatitis B, focusing on Hispanic adults.
-
Towards a blood-based test using nanophotonic exosomes to screen and diagnose liver cancer
A new blood test using tiny particles shed by liver cancer cells aims to screen for hepatocellular carcinoma earlier and more accurately.
-
Metabolic imaging to guide targeted therapy for liver cancer
A clinician-scientist at UPenn is pursuing training to use metabolic imaging to tailor therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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.