Response of liver cancers to traditional and novel therapeutics
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of the response of liver cancers to traditional and novel therapeutics
IRAS ID
308597
Contact name
Alex Gordon-Weeks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Primary and metastatic cancers of the liver have a poor prognosis with relatively few effective treatment options. Whilst surgical resection provides the best chance of long-term cure, recurrence after surgery is common. Better understanding of liver cancer biology will lead to the development of new treatments to improve survival. \n\nCurrently there are no good models with which to study liver cancer biology or through which to understand the effects of anti-cancer drugs on the biological behaviour of the disease. Mouse models require surgical implantation of cancer cells directly to the liver which is not physiological and cell culture techniques fail to recapitulate the multicellular microenvironment seen in the liver. The study of liver cancers in patients is limited to a single time-point after surgical excision, preventing investigation of how tumours changes over time or in response to treatment. \n\nIn this research project we will study the biology of human cancers and their response to treatment through use of machine perfusion. Machine perfusion enables us to keep the tumour alive after it has been removed from the patient and this provides us with an ideal model platform on which to understand more about the cancer and its response to treatment. \n\nThe study will be open to patients undergoing resection of at least half of their liver cancer from within the Oxford University Hospital Trust. The excised liver and its tumours will undergo serial sampling during perfusion and in the presence of treatments added to the perfusion circuit in order to understand the tumours response to treatment. Comparison of the response in different tumours from different patients will aid our understanding of heterogeneity in patient responses to treatments. The findings have the potential to significantly impact upon stratified, patient-focused healthcare through choice of appropriate treatments and generate an enhanced understanding of liver cancer biology.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0429
Date of REC Opinion
14 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion