Targeting obesity-related factors to enhance liver cancer therapies

Dr Frances Byrne

UNSW

$599,168

2026 - 2029

‍

Background:

In Australia, more than 3,000 people are diagnosed with primary liver cancer each year.

For people with advanced liver cancer, drug treatments are often the only option, but they usually extend life by only a few months because the cancer can be resistant from the start or become resistant over time. New approaches that make these treatments work better are urgently needed. Obesity is a major driver of liver cancer, with up to half of cases linked to excess body weight. Obesity not only increases the risk of developing liver cancer, but can also make it harder to treat, acting as a barrier to good treatment responses. Despite this, obesity isn’t currently considered when treating people with liver cancer.

About the Project:

A/Prof Frances Byrne and her team are testing a new approach to treat liver cancer by targeting obesity alongside existing cancer therapies. The research team has developed BAM15, a molecule that helps the body burn excess fat by acting on the cell’s energy systems. Early studies show that when BAM15 is combined with standard liver cancer treatments, it has strong anti-tumour effects in obese mice compared with cancer treatment alone. The project will now test this combination in a more realistic model where tumours grow in the liver, better reflecting how the disease develops in patients. The research will also explore how BAM15 works, including whether it helps the immune system fight cancer by increasing the number of tumour-fighting T cells within liver tumours.

Impact:

This research could make liver cancer treatments work better for people living with obesity by helping shrink tumours more effectively than current therapies alone. In the longer term, this could mean some patients’ tumours shrink enough to become eligible for surgery, or that treatment extends life significantly. Because obesity contributes to many cancers, this strategy could also inform improved treatment approaches across other obesity-related cancers (such as breast, bowel/colon, and pancreatic cancer).

‍