Damon Runyon Researchers

One of the unique features of liver cancer is the way in which it obtains and uses different forms of energy, especially fats. Drs. Evason and Ducker found that a certain type of fat (phosphatidylcholine lipids) is elevated in both zebrafish and human liver cancer cells. They are using zebrafish, which form tumors similar to the human disease and can be easily manipulated to study liver cancer. The goal of this project is to determine why phosphatidylcholine lipid levels are higher in liver cancer and how they might be targeted with drugs to prevent or cure this disease.