Journal publication Archives - Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation

Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets for Fibrolamellar Carcinoma Using Patient Derived Xenografts and Direct from Patient Screening

This recent publication describes six new PDX lines derived by direct implantation of tumor specimens, both from the liver (one primary and one recurrent tumor) and metastases. These facilitated the first reported large-scale screening of compounds for the ability to kill dissociated FLC tumor cells in short-term culture (72 hours). Active compounds were also assessed …

A framework for fibrolamellar carcinoma research and clinical trials

This article, published in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, summarizes the key advances made in understanding the disease since the 2014 discovery that nearly all FLC tumors contain the DNAJB1-PRKACA chimeric fusion transcript. The paper outlines the advances made in understanding the molecular pathways driven by the fusion protein and the potential to identify actionable …

MicroRNA-375 Suppresses the Growth and Invasion of Fibrolamellar Carcinoma

While the significance of the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion gene in fibrolamellar carcinoma has been established and validated, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in FLC remains unclear. MicroRNAs have been implicated as drivers in many diseases including a variety of cancers. This study analyzed small RNA sequencing data to identify dysregulated miRNAs in FLC tumors and identified …

Detection of a recurrent DNAJB1-PRKACA chimeric transcript in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

This study was the first published research effort that identified the DNAJB1-PRKACA chimeric transcript in fibrolamellar carcinoma tumors. By performing RNA sequencing on tumor and healthy tissue samples, a chimeric transcript was discovered that had not been previously reported in the literature. This fusion transcript arises due to a ~400-kilobase deletion on chromosome 19. In …

CRISPR/Cas9 Engineering of Adult Mouse Liver Demonstrates that the DNAJB1-PRKACA Gene Fusion Is Sufficient to Induce Tumors Resembling Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion gene is found in almost all FLC tumors. In order to determine if this gene fusion is a cause of the tumors, these researchers used a CRISPR-Cas9 technique to create a chimeric DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion gene in the livers of otherwise healthy mice. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, the researchers created guide RNAs that …

Multi-omic analysis of microRNA-mediated regulation reveals a proliferative axis involving miR-10b in fibrolamellar carcinoma

Nearly all FLC tumors carry the fusion gene DNAJB1-PRKACA and the expressed protein chimera DNAJ-PKAc which is believed to be the driver of FLC formation. However, to identify potential new therapies for FLC, it is important to understand the specific mechanisms that drive the progression of the disease. In a previous study, the Sethupathy lab …

The genomic landscape of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma: whole genome sequencing of ten patients

This study sequenced the DNA from FLC tumors and compared the results to the DNA from non-cancerous tissue from the same patients to identify the specific mutations that had occurred in the cancer. In the 10 samples examined, the only consistent mutation was the DNAJB1-PRKACA fusion gene. Since the only consistent mutation found was the …

Road map for fibrolamellar carcinoma: progress and goals of a diversified approach

The second Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation Scientific Summit was held in Stamford, CT, USA, in November 2017. The goals of this meeting were to gather a diverse set of investigators, stimulate new collaborations, and devise new ways to inspire additional interest in the field. This meeting summary outlines the work supported by the Foundation and presented …

Predictors of Outcome in Patients With Fibrolamellar Carcinoma: Analysis of the National Cancer Database

This publication retrospectively analyzes the clinicopathological factors and treatments affecting overall survival in FLC. Using the National Cancer Database, it identified 496 patients diagnosed with FLC between 2004 and 2015. Of those patients, resection was performed on 254 (51.2%), liver-directed therapy on 13 (2.6%), and liver transplantation on 15 (3.0%) patients. Median overall survival times …