Immunotherapy of inoperable and locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

There are 768,000 new cases of liver cancer and 730,000 deaths worldwide every year. Only 15% of the cases are operable, and the median survival is generally <1 year. The close numbers of new cases and deaths indicate that liver cancer is a high mortality disease and urgently needs a new therapy. Approved therapies for inoperable liver cancer include chemotherapy (platinum, 5-FU, doxorubicin), targeted therapy (sorafenib, bevacizumab), immunotherapy (atezolizumab), and combination of the above. Recently, immunotherapy has become the front-line treatment for advanced and inoperable liver cancer. The patient’s immune system is suppressed within the liver by the tumor, and consequently the tumor cells are invisible to the patient’s immune cells. We are developing a new treatment that will wake up immune cells in the liver to specifically kill the liver tumor. This immune activating effect will be localized in the liver without global stimulation of the immune system in the patient, and thus will be effective but cause little toxicity. Our strategy is to develop a nanoparticle formulation that can localize an immune boosting drug in the liver, without the drug being absorbed into the blood stream to induce non-specific side effects.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shyh-Dar Li

Student:

Partner:

Dionamix Scientific Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Nanotechnology; Pharmaceuticals

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: