Radiation plus your own immune cells to boost liver tumor response
Radiation and dendritic cells to hepatomas to improve immunotherapy response
This combines targeted liver radiation with injections of your own dendritic immune cells alongside atezolizumab and bevacizumab to try to help people with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma get a stronger immune attack on their tumors.
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 ID | NIH-11171748 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive high‑dose external beam radiation to the liver tumor followed by injections of dendritic cells made from your own blood while continuing atezolizumab and bevacizumab. The radiation helps release tumor proteins and the dendritic cells help present those proteins to your immune system so cancer‑fighting T cells can expand. Doctors will collect blood and tumor samples to track new or expanded T‑cell clones and gene signatures linked to response. Prior pilot patients had promising partial responses with manageable side effects, and treatment and monitoring would take place at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma who can receive atezolizumab plus bevacizumab and tolerate liver radiation and tumor injection/biopsy would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients with resectable disease, very poor performance status, uncontrolled bleeding risk, or medical conditions that prevent radiation or intratumoral injection are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase the number of people with liver cancer who respond to immunotherapy and extend how long those responses last.
How similar studies have performed: A small pilot at this center treated five patients with the radiation plus dendritic cell approach and saw three partial responses and expansion of tumor‑reactive T‑cell clones, but larger trials are still needed.
Where this research is happening
Rochester, United States
- Mayo Clinic Rochester — Rochester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Park, Sean S — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Park, Sean S
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.