Though immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the response rates remain limited. At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, researchers highlighted N-lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 as an oncogenic protein overexpressed in several tumor types.
Enhanced quantity and functionality of natural killer (NK) cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been associated with improved prognosis and survival. Therefore, NK cell-based immunotherapy has been proposed for treating HCC, relying on the activation of NK cell receptors like natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs), which recognize specific ligands on HCC cells. However, the effectiveness of this approach remains low due to tumor immune evasion.
Sunshine Biopharma Inc. has completed mouse model studies providing proof of concept for the company’s K1.1 mRNA product as a novel therapeutic agent for human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis plays a crucial role in tumor cell survival and growth. Mitochondrial integrity is regulated by proteins in the mitochondrial inner membrane, such as prohibitin (PHB). PHB has been found overexpressed in several cancer types and contributes to tumorigenesis.
Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University and MD Anderson Cancer Center have compared the proteins secreted by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in responders and nonresponders to the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab.
Myc proto-oncogene protein (MYC) is a transcription factor that can modulate the transcription of several genes, and its overexpression has been found in many cancer types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its inhibition reverses tumorigenesis in vivo and it is a key therapeutic target in cancer. Stanford University scientists used CRISPR screening assays to identify several genes as downstream targets of MYC, including exportin-1 (XPO1), among others.
HLB Co. Ltd. is ready to take half of the liver cancer treatment market with its potential first-line treatment, rivoceranib, currently undergoing U.S. FDA review, company chairman Jin Yang-gon said, backed by positive survival data that beat out competitors by three months.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent tumor of the liver, and in contrast to the reduction in the number of deaths in many common cancers, HCC’s mortality rates have gone up in recent years. One of the features that characterizes HCC is the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Recent preclinical testing in HCC models has shown a reduction in tumor growth using siRNA or ASOs acting as β-catenin inhibitors.
