Radiation plus a patient’s own immune cells to boost cholangiocarcinoma treatment
Official title: Radiation and dendritic cell combination to improve immunotherapy response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11408644 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $530,638 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA294704-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11408644 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who have not had surgery and are eligible for radiotherapy and dendritic cell therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not mount an immune response or who cannot tolerate the combination therapy may not see benefit.
What this research studies
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a tough liver cancer with limited options. The study plans to use targeted radiation to stimulate the tumor and then inject the patient’s own dendritic cells to improve immune system recognition, aiming to boost a dual PD-L1 and TIGIT-blocking strategy. The approach builds on prior pilot data showing potential tumor responses and acceptable safety. If successful, this could expand the pool of patients who respond to immunotherapy and extend their time without disease progression. Participants would be adults with unresectable iCCA treated at Mayo Clinic Rochester.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Possible longer control of the cancer and improved responses to immunotherapy for some patients with unresectable iCCA.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary pilot data in similar liver cancers showed partial responses and manageable toxicity with this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Park, Sean S — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Park, Sean S
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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New mouse model to improve immune therapy for intrahepatic bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma) cancer
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.
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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.