The FCF is pleased to announce the funding of a study led by Dr. Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This research will explore a key protein, SLC16A14, that is involved in the growth and survival of fibrolamellar cancer (FLC) cells using a new mouse model that the team has developed. Evidence suggests that SLC16A14 is strongly connected to FLC’s DNAJB1-PRKACA gene fusion and may be an important link driving the metabolic changes of the cancer cells. This study plans to investigate this possibility with the goal to develop a therapy against SLC16A14 that can eliminate cancer cells that contain the DNAJB1-PRKACA protein (DP) while sparing normal cells.

The effort will take place in two phases:

• Initially, the team will use their new mouse model to examine how DP drives the development of FLC and other cancers. By tracking the changes that take place in these tissues over time, the investigators can better understand the processes that cause the transformation of normal cells into cancerous cells. In the process, they hope to identify new ways of detecting and treating these cancers.
• During the second phase of the study, the team will focus on a specific protein, SLC16A14, first reported by Dr. Praveen Sethupathy of Cornell University as being significantly overexpressed in FLC. SLC16A14 belongs to a family of transporter proteins that help move substances such as sugars and amino acids in and out of cells, however researchers don’t yet know exactly what SLC16A14 transports. Dr. Ronnekleiv-Kelly’s team plans to use the mouse model to (a) investigate whether SLC16A14 is essential for the function and survival of DP-containing cancer cells and (b) identify the substance that is being transported.

According to Dr. Ronnekleiv-Kelly, “This funding from the Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation will be indispensable for allowing us to gain a better understanding of how DNAJB1-PRKACA transforms normal calls into cancer cells. Furthermore, we hope to make significant progress in determining the therapeutic potential of a very promising target (SLC16A14).”