UCLA Center for Early Liver Cancer Detection
Official title: The UCLA Center in Early Detection of Liver Cancer
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11174506 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines a new blood-based DNA test with imaging and medical records to find liver cancer earlier in people at high risk, such as those with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2018 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $866,250 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA230705-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174506 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people at increased risk for liver cancer, especially those with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B, who can provide blood samples and attend imaging visits.
✕Less likely to help
People without liver disease or those with very advanced liver cancer are unlikely to benefit from the screening approaches being tested.
What this research studies
As a patient, the UCLA center would combine a blood test that reads cell-free DNA methylation patterns with CT/MRI scans and your medical history to try to detect liver cancer sooner. The team has already shown promising results in a small pilot that compared people with liver cancer to those with cirrhosis, and now they are expanding to larger, ongoing patient groups. They will collect blood samples, imaging scans, and clinical data over time and use computational methods to integrate these sources for better early detection. The effort focuses on making a sensitive and affordable screening approach that can work in routine clinic settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could catch liver cancer earlier when treatments are more effective, potentially reducing deaths from the disease.
How similar studies have gone: The team’s prior pilot validated the cell-free DNA methylation approach for distinguishing HCC from cirrhosis, and other recent blood-based methylation tests have shown encouraging early results but still require broader validation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhou, Xianghong Jasmine — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Zhou, Xianghong Jasmine
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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.