Targeting age-related interferon signals to prevent and treat liver cancer
Project 4: Interrogating and harnessing age-related IFN signaling and innate immunity in HCC prevention and therapy
This project tests whether changing age-related interferon-driven immune signals in the liver can help prevent or improve treatment for older adults with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160737 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers are studying how chronic interferon and inflammatory signals in the aging liver change immunity and affect liver cancer. They use laboratory models, molecular profiling, and timing experiments (including aged animal models) to see when interferon helps stop tumors and when it can make disease worse. Early lab data showed a synthetic interferon inducer (polyIC) blocked tumors in some settings but worsened cancer if given late in aged animals, so the team is mapping those differences. The goal is to find safe ways to use interferon-related approaches or other immunotherapies that work better for older people at risk for or living with liver cancer.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be older adults (about 65 years and up) with liver disease, those at high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, or patients with early-stage HCC who might be future trial candidates.
Not a fit: People without liver disease or those with very advanced, late-stage HCC may not receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to prevention strategies or immunotherapy approaches tailored to older adults at risk for or living with hepatocellular carcinoma.
How similar studies have performed: Related laboratory studies showed that a synthetic interferon inducer (polyIC) can block liver tumors in some experimental settings, but results were mixed in aged or late-stage disease, so the approach is partly novel and still uncertain.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Feng, Gen-Sheng — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Feng, Gen-Sheng
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.