Targeting Ischemia-Induced Autophagy Dependence in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2028-08-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most commonly used therapy for patients with
unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TACE is a minimally invasive procedure that
involves placing a catheter into the artery in the liver that feeds the tumor, administering
chemotherapeutics and then blocking the artery with embolics in order to kill tumor cells by
depriving them of essential oxygen and nutrients. While TACE has a proven survival benefit,
local recurrence is common, and long-term survival rates are poor. Prior studies demonstrate
that HCC cells survive the oxygen and nutrient deprivation through autophagy, a process of
cellular self-eating, to provide nutrients required for survival. The proposed project will
leverage this dependency to develop a novel approach to TACE that integrates autophagy
inhibition to improve therapeutic response by increasing tumor cell killing and enhancing
anti-tumor immunity.