New mouse model to improve immune therapy for intrahepatic bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma) cancer
Official title: A new mouse model for studying the pathogenesis and immunobiology of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and improving its immunotherapy
Funded at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute · NIH-11392619 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a new mouse model to help make immune-based treatments work better for people with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a type of bile duct liver cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $695,955 |
| NIH project number | 7R01CA281784-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392619 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), especially those with advanced disease who need better treatment options, would be the eventual candidates for therapies arising from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without ICC (for example, those with other cancers or non-cancer liver conditions) and people seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical mouse-model research.
What this research studies
This project creates a mouse model that mimics intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) so researchers can study the tumor’s immune environment. Scientists will use the model to learn why immune checkpoint drugs have not worked well in ICC and to test combinations that might overcome tumor-driven immunosuppression. The focus is on how CD8 T cells and other immune components interact with ICC tumors and on therapies that could boost anti-tumor immunity. Although the experiments are in mice, the goal is to guide new treatment approaches that could later be tested in people with ICC.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new or better immune-based treatments for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
How similar studies have gone: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma but have performed poorly in ICC so far, so this approach is relatively new and aims to address that gap.
Where this research is happening
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Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karin, Michael — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Karin, Michael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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A new mouse model to study intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and its immunotherapy
A new mouse model helps researchers understand intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and test immune-based treatments to improve outcomes.
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Radiation plus a patient’s own immune cells to boost cholangiocarcinoma treatment
This project tests a therapy that combines precise radiation and the patient’s own dendritic cells with immune drugs to help fight intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in people who cannot have surgery.
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Using radiation and your own immune cells to boost immunotherapy for intrahepatic bile-duct (liver) cancer
This approach combines focused liver radiation, injections of your own dendritic immune cells, and two immune drugs to try to help people with unresectable intrahepatic bile-duct cancer live longer without the disease getting worse.
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Combining radiation and immune cells to enhance treatment for liver cancer
This study is testing a new way to help people with a tough type of liver cancer by using strong radiation along with special immune cells from their own body to boost their immune system and help them live longer without the cancer getting worse.
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A new mouse model to study liver cancer and improve its treatment
This study is looking at a tough type of liver cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and is testing a new mouse model to learn more about how the immune system interacts with this cancer, hoping to find better treatment options that work alongside current therapies.
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Understanding how tumor variety affects bile duct cancer (iCCA)
Researchers will study how differences within a single tumor and between primary and metastatic sites influence disease progression and treatment response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, using human samples and mouse models.
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.