WEHI Wednesday Seminar hosted by Associate Professor Naiyang Fu
Phil Arandjelovic, PhD
Cancer Council Victoria Postdoctoral Fellow; President, 2025 Postdoctoral Association
Research Officer – Fu Laboratory, ACRF Cancer Biology and Stem Cells division, WEHI
The cell of origin in β-catenin mutant hepatocellular carcinoma
Davis Auditorium
Join via SLIDO enter code #WEHIWednesday
Including Q&A session
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most common form of primary liver cancer, but the development of efficient and targeted therapies remains hampered by our limited understanding of hepatocarcinogenesis at the molecular and cellular level. Molecular profiling studies on tumour samples from HCC patients have consistently shown that activating mutations in WNT/β-catenin signalling drive 30-40% of cases. The cells of origin play a critical role in tumour initiation and progression, influencing the malignant phenotype that develops within a given tissue. Whether a distinct hepatocyte subset serves as the cell of origin for β-catenin-mutated HCC remains a key outstanding question.
Using genetically-engineered mouse models that allow us to mutate, label and trace distinct hepatocyte subpopulations, Phil’s work is the first to shed light on the cellular origins of one of the most common molecular subtypes of HCC, paving the way for greater understanding of the early drivers of this disease.
