Molecular therapies for fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC)

Timeframe: 2019 – date Goal: Investigate the potential of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as therapeutic options for FLC Principal Investigator: John Scott, PhD, Edwin G. Krebs-Speights Professor of Cell Signaling and Cancer Biology, and Chair, Department of Pharmacology Precision medicine approaches have identified the underlying genetic defect in FLC …

Read more

Therapeutic innovations in fibrolamellar cancer

Timeframe: 2017 – 2019 Goal: Understand growth mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets Principal Investigator: Raymond Yeung, MD, Professor of Surgery Fibrolamellar cancer (FLC) is the most lethal form of liver cancer in adolescents and young adults. Currently, there is no effective therapy for these patients besides surgery. With the identification of a unique genetic …

Read more

T cell immunotherapy in fibrolamellar cancer

Timeframe: 2016 – 2019 Goal: Characterize T-cells in the FLC tumor microenvironment Principal Investigator: Kevin M. Sullivan, M.D., General Surgery Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that harnesses the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease. The immune system can precisely target cancer cells, while also minimizing damage to the remainder of the …

Read more

Modulating stromal-immune cell interactions to activate anti-tumor immunity to fibrolamellar carcinoma

Timeframe: 2019 -2020 Goal: Assess whether supressing checkpoints or signaling by a specific chemokine (CXCL12) can enhance immune response Principal Investigator: Venu Pillarisetty, MD, Associate Professor, Division of General Surgery [Extension after CRI Fellowship grant to Kevin Sullivan in Dr. Pillarisetty’s lab, 2016-2019] Immunotherapy, harnessing the patient’s immune system to precisely target cancer cells, has …

Read more

Developing the foundation for an immunotherapy program to treat fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

Timeframe: 2020 – 2021 Goal: Understand the characteristics of the immune cells within FLC, and use this knowledge to optimize immunotherapy for this disease Principal Investigator: Venu Pillarisetty, MD, Professor of Surgery, General Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine Despite the application of many advanced treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, most patients with …

Read more