A ground-breaking new approach to treating chronic Hepatitis B infection and liver cancer that uses cutting-edge mRNA technology is being developed in Melbourne.
Primary liver cancer, or HCC (Hepatocellular Carcinoma) is cancer that commences in the liver; it is almost always preceded by long-term liver inflammation due to chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection. Alcohol, obesity and type 2 diabetes and Hepatitis C are other leading causes of primary liver cancer. In Australia, HBV is the cause of about 25% of all liver cancers, but in other countries in our region, HBV is even much more common.
“Liver patients have a very low survival rate of only 23 per cent; in 2023 there were almost 3,050 new liver cancer diagnoses, and 2,545 people died from the disease,” said Professor Joe Trapani AO, Director, Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy at the VCCC Alliance. “We are testing an RNA-based technology to destroy the virus’s ability to spread to uninfected liver cells. By eradicating the virus early, the inflammation can subside, and liver cancer is far less likely,”.
Research collaborator, Associate Professor Jessica Howell, is a hepatologist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne who knows all too well the challenges faced when treating liver cancer patients.
“Primary liver cancer is a devastating disease that disproportionately affects our most vulnerable Australians in the prime of their lives. The cutting-edge research that the Centre is conducting aims to stop liver cancer development in its tracks, providing new hope for people living with chronic Hepatitis B who are at risk of liver cancer.”
Liver cancer disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. If successfully translated to clinical studies, the new approach could appreciably help to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian’s cancer outcomes and would in time benefit other Indigenous populations worldwide who struggle with similar challenges.
“Once we can successfully treat mice infected with the virus, we hope to move the approach rapidly into clinical trials. Our goal is to have this treatment available to patients within five years,” Professor Trapani said.
In its first five years the Centre’s scientists and clinicians have already contributed to research advances in acute myeloid leukemia, melanoma, prostate cancer and refractory children’s cancers such as sarcoma and neuroblastoma. The next phase of the Centre’s work, which is dependent on new funding, will focus on virus-driven cancers which account for 25 per cent of all cancers.
“We’re grateful to the Victorian Government for supporting the VCCC Alliance; it has enabled us to make significant and impactful inroads into cancer research, treatment and patient care,” Professor Grant McArthur AO, chief executive VCCC Alliance said.
“Our virus-driven cancer research program will give us the opportunity to lead the world in groundbreaking liver cancer treatment and prevention. However, this will only be possible with a marked increase in funding in initiatives such as the Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy.”
This work was funded by mRNA Victoria through the mRNA Victoria Acceleration Program.
The Herald Sun has published an article about this exciting research – read it here.
Two major programs of work underway at the Centre are exploring new therapies with potential to change outcomes for people with liver cancer:
For further information and interview requests, contact Lisa Kuspira, Program Communications Manager ([email protected]) | 0423 011 493.
