Generation of Organotypic Liver Cultures for the Identification of Biomarkers for the Prevention and Treatment of Liver Fibrosis

February 7, 2024 updated by: Regina Elena Cancer Institute
Low-level, interventional, biological and non-pharmacological study prospective intervention for the preparation of organotypic human liver slice cultures Liver Slice Culture (hLSC) applying the protocol described by Jiang and collaborators.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Human liver slice culture hLSCs will be used from non-tumor liver tissue collected by biopsy from patients undergoing abdominal surgery, who have signed informed consent and agree to perform a liver biopsy for the specific research protocol.

The study is "low level interventional" when a small portion (approximately 10 mm in diameter) of liver tissue macroscopically free from parenchymal alterations obtained in the open at the site of surgery for primary or secondary liver tumors will be taken (hepatic metastases from colorectal, pancreatic or breast cancer). The goal is to create organotypic liver cultures (hLSC) derived from liver biopsies taken from patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

for primary or secondary liver tumors for the molecular characterization of liver fibrosis.

Use hLSC to study the liver microenvironment and molecular determinants involved in fibrosis through single cell sequencing; compare the sequencing data obtained with hLSC with that obtained via characterization of a GEMM whose generation is foreseen in the same project financed by the MoS.

To generate this GEMM, the pro-fibrotic Hipk2 gene was specifically deleted in the tissue liver (HIPK2-liver knock-out, HIPK2-LKO) and liver fibrosis will be induced through a high-fat, low-choline diet.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

      • Rome, Italy, 00144
        • Recruiting
        • "Regina Elena" National Cancer Institute
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age over 18 years old;
  • patients for whom it is indicated to undergo abdominal surgery for tumors primary or secondary liver diseases;
  • patients who express informed consent to the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • medical contraindication to performing a liver biopsy;
  • liver cirrhosis;
  • macroscopic signs of chronic liver disease;
  • moderate or severe steatosis;
  • cholestasis;
  • hepatic necrosis.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Biopsy sample in an area of liver macroscopically free from parenchymal alterations
Patients undergoing abdominal surgery for primary or secondary liver tumors (liver metastases from colorectal, pancreatic, or breast), from which we proceed to the preparation of organotypic cultures of liver (hLSC) derived from liver biopsies taken from patients undergoing abdominal surgery for primary or secondary liver tumors for the molecular characterization of liver fibrosis.
A small portion (about 10 mm in diameter) of liver tissue was collected macroscopically free from alterations of the parenchyma obtained in the open at the site surgery for primary or secondary liver tumors, for the preparation of cultures of organotypic liver slices.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Molecular characterization of liver fibrosis
Time Frame: 24 months
Creation of organotypic cultures of liverderived from liver biopsies taken from patients undergoing abdominal surgery for primary or secondary liver tumors for the molecular characterization of liver fibrosis.Patients will undergo abdominal surgery (as per clinical practice), during which a biopsy will be performed in an area of the liver macroscopically free from parenchymal alterations, approximately 20/25 slices will be obtained from each sample. The hLSCs will come used to study the hepatic microenvironment in the presence or absence of pro-fibrinogenetic stimuli e of anti-fibrotics by time-lapse analysis and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy multiple and through single cell sequencing.
24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Study of the hepatic microenvironment
Time Frame: 24 months
Use hLSCs to study the liver microenvironment and the molecular determinants involved in it fibrosis through single cell sequencing (single-cell RNA sequencing);
24 months
Compare the sequencing data
Time Frame: 24 months

Compare the sequencing data obtained with hLSCs with those obtained through the characterization of a GEMM. A biopsy will be performed after abdominal surgery (as per clinical practice), in an area of the liver macroscopically free from parenchymal alterations.

hLSCs will be analyzed over the following week for viability and fibrosis induction using fibrosis-specific stains for time-lapse dynamic imaging (IncuCyte), i.e. picrosirius red, Masson's trichrome, and quantitative RT-PCR and multiplex immunofluorescence

24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Silvia Soddu, Doctor, IRCCS "Regina Elena" National Cancer Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 17, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 17, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 17, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 7, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 7, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RS1822/23

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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