Why immunotherapy works less well for NASH-related liver cancer
Official title: Determinants of immunotherapy response in NASH-Hepatocellular carcinoma
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11144259 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether adding drugs that block KIT/MAPK/Wnt pathways to immunotherapy helps people with NASH-related liver cancer respond better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 4, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $479,492 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA273932-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144259 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with hepatocellular carcinoma caused by NASH, especially those eligible for systemic immunotherapy and willing to provide biopsy or blood samples.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with liver cancer from non-NASH causes or those unable to receive immunotherapy or pathway-targeting drugs may not benefit from the specific strategies studied here.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are studying why liver cancer that develops from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) often resists immune-based treatments and whether combining immunotherapy with drugs that target KIT/MAPK/Wnt signaling can overcome that resistance. The team will use patient tumor samples, gene signatures, 3D cell cultures, and animal models to study immune cell behavior and identify biomarkers linked to response. They will look for molecular markers in biopsies and blood that predict who might benefit from combination therapies. The goal is to find measurable tests and treatment combinations that could be taken into early clinical testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new combination therapies and biomarkers that help more people with NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma respond to immunotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab already improves survival in HCC, but adding KIT/MAPK/Wnt blockers for NASH-HCC is a newer, largely experimental approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Llovet, Josep M — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Llovet, Josep M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Determinants of immunotherapy response in NASH-related liver cancer
Aims to understand why some patients with NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma respond differently to immunotherapy and to identify biomarkers that predict who benefits.
-
Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Platform for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
A Johns Hopkins study will test immune-based therapy given before surgery to shrink liver cancer and help prevent recurrence.
-
Predicting early harms and biomarkers in liver cancer patients treated with immunotherapy
This grant aims to identify early signs of serious side effects and find blood biomarkers that predict toxicity or good response in people with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immunotherapy.
-
Catheter-guided nanoparticle delivery of anti–PD-L1 immunotherapy to liver tumors
It delivers PD-L1 blocking immunotherapy directly into liver tumors through a catheter using nanoparticle carriers for people with hepatocellular carcinoma.
-
Image-guided device to deliver immunotherapy and heat to liver tumors
This project uses a special image-guided device to put immune-boosting medicine and controlled heat directly into liver tumors for people with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
-
Using immunotherapy before surgery to improve outcomes in liver cancer
This study is looking at how giving immunotherapy before surgery can help boost the immune system's ability to fight liver cancer, and it's for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who are preparing for surgery.
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.