ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06929845Updated Sep 21, 2026

Organoid Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

An interventional study of organoids models in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Organoids and Gut Microbiota, sponsored by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-21.

Sponsored by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Oct 2024; still recruiting 2 years 1 month later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
150
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 11 studies in Carcinoma, Hepatocellular by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS — 8 open to participants now, 9 under way, none of them phase 3. Carcinoma, Hepatocellular · Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS.

Started
2024
the only one that year
No phase
6 of 11
5 open now
Registered
7th of 11
by date

Among the 11 studies in Carcinoma, Hepatocellular by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, this one is the only one that started in 2024, is one of 6 with no phase, and was the 7th registered.

By phase

11 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

No phasethis study6 · 5 open
Observational4 · 3 open
Other kind1 · 0 open

By the year they started

First in 2019; this study’s year is marked. 1 started in 2024.

Size and results

Median enrollment 89 across the 6 interventional studies, 100 across the 5 observational. Of the 2 that completed or were terminated, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 11 studies in Carcinoma, Hepatocellular by Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

A promising tool to elucidate the molecular characteristics of HCC are patient-derived organoids (PDOs), three-dimensional cultures of cells that self-organise according to tissue-specific patterns and can be used to test the susceptibility of a specific tumour to anticancer agents. In this study, PDOs for HCC will be developed that closely resemble the tumour microenvironment in vivo and mimic the crosstalk of the gut-liver axis to establish a correlation with patient prognosis and test the efficacy of available systemic therapies.

Read the detailed description

The objectives of the project will be 1) to develop HCC PDOs from tumour and non-tumour patient liver tissue obtained from surgical specimens or liver biopsies; 2) to evaluate genomic and transcriptomic changes resulting from the integration of HCC PDOs with patient-derived gut microbiota and host immune cells, and to assess the correlation with patient prognosis; 3) to exploit HCC PDOs to test the efficacy of systemic therapies (ICI and TKIs) and to understand possible modifying cofactors.

Researchers with laboratory experience have been recruited who will focus on the construction of PDOs and the analysis of immune-inflammatory pathways. State-of-the-art technologies will be used, in particular next-generation sequencing, flow cytometry, high-throughput genomic and transcriptomic analysis, ultrafiltration, drug screening, multiplex immunoassays and enzyme immunoassays. The project aims to study the mechanisms involved in the modulation of therapeutic efficacy in patients with HCC. Therefore, the experimental model could be a valuable support to be integrated into real clinical practice to maximise therapeutic efficacy through a fully customised strategy.

03

Conditions studied

  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  • Organoids
  • Gut Microbiota
  • Tumor Microenvironment
  • System Disorders, Digestive
  • Surgery
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Capacity to express ;
  • Age ≥18 years;
  • Suspected radiological diagnosis of HCC or diagnosis of HCC with indications for surgical resection.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age \< 18 years;
  • to liver (ascites, \<50,000, >1.7);
  • Contraindications to HCC resection surgery;
  • Active viral infection;
  • Refusal to sign to participate in the study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)

Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.

Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
150 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    HCC organoid models development

    The aim of the present project is to develop a HCC organoid model that closely resembles the in vivo immunological microenvironment, including the contribution of the gut-liver axis. These reconstituted HCC models will then allow us to test tumor sensitiv

    Procedure: organoids models

Interventions

  • Procedureorganoids models

    Enrolled patients will undergo liver biopsy with sampling of tumor tissue and adjacent nontumor liver parenchyma. Alternatively, patients who are candidates for surgical resection of HCC will be enrolled. The tumor tissue obtained will be used partly for histological confirmation of HCC and then included in kerosene, partly used for organoid construction, and the nontumor tissue will be used solely for organoids. Genomic and transcriptomic changes resulting from the integration of PDO of HCC with the gut microbiota and host immune cells derived from the patient will be evaluated. In addition, PDOs from HCC will be tested for the efficacy of systemic therapies (ICI and TKI) and understand possible modifying co-factors.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Organoid model development

    The primary endpoint of this study is to assess the correlation between the genomic and histological characteristics of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surgical biopsies and clinical outcomes, specifically disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

    Time frame: 2-18 months

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 21, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06929845
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 16, 2025
Start date
Oct 1, 2024
Primary completion
Nov 15, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 21, 2026

Study contacts

Francesca Romana Ponziani, PI
Contact
francescaromana.ponziani@policlinicogemelli.it
3471227242
Elisabetta Creta, SC
Contact
elisabetta.creta@policlinicogemelli.it
3480778584
Francesca Romana Ponziani, PI
principal investigator · Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Largo A. Gemelli, 8

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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