Studying Novel Therapeutic Regimens for Hepatoblastoma

The Bondoc Lab’s primary mission is to determine the molecular mechanisms by which hepatoblastoma, the most common primary liver malignancy of childhood, originates in order to identify and study novel therapeutic regimens for this cancer. Standard-of-care therapy typically includes chemotherapy and surgical which can be achieved by liver resection or, in some cases, liver transplantation. Unfortunately, these curative therapies can have lifelong health implications for affected children.

Hepatoblastoma is an embryonal tumor of childhood and thought to develop from an otherwise normal fetal or neonatal precursor cell. Several investigators around the world, including our lab, have determined that hepatoblastoma consists of a number of cell subtypes with distinct biological behaviors. What is not known is how these deviate from normal processes and how they may contribute to hepatoblastoma development.

Our lab is part of a larger clinical and research endeavor here at Cincinnati Children’s, the Liver Tumor program where we work with other basic researchers including Nikolai Timchenko, PhD, Soona Shin, PhD and Peng V. Wu, MD, PhD as well multidisciplinary members from clinical divisions including Oncology, Surgery, Pathology and Radiology .