Vision and Mission
Our vision is to unravel the molecular underpinnings of liver cancer, enabling the development of more precise diagnostic tools and targeted therapeutic strategies.
The BC Liver Cancer Program (LivBC) has been established to address a critical gap in British Columbia’s research landscape— the absence of a comprehensive liver cancer research initiative. LivBC is dedicated to advancing our understanding of hepatic malignancies at the single-cell level, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to dissect tumor heterogeneity, immune microenvironments, and molecular drivers of disease progression.
By fostering collaborative research, integrating multi-omic approaches, and translating findings into clinical applications, LivBC aims to enhance patient care and outcomes for individuals in British Columbia and beyond.
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and global incidence is rising. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, accounting for more than 90% of cases. Development and application of precision medicine has been challenging in HCC for several reasons, including infrequent tissue sampling, inter-patient variation, and intratumoural heterogeneity.
HCC is diagnosed through non-invasive imaging, and tumors are not frequently biopsied, presenting a barrier to both biomarker discovery and informing clinical practice. Ablation, surgical resection, or liver transplant is recommended for the minority of tumors diagnosed at an early stage, while intermediate and advanced tumors are treated with chemoembolization, systemic drugs, and more recently, immunotherapies. Due to a lack of symptoms, HCC is usually diagnosed late, and despite progress with approved therapeutics over the past 15 years, treatment for intermediate and advanced HCC is not curative. Even with early intervention, recurrence rates are high, and the five-year survival rate for liver cancer patients in Canada remains stubbornly low at 22%.
Program Leader
Dr. Adi Steif, PhD
Principal investigator
Dr. Pamela Hoodless, PhD
Principal investigator
Dr. Zu-hua Gao, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Head of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Dr. Howard Lim, MD FRCPC, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. Graziano Oldani, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Daljeet Chahal, MD, MASc
Gastroenterologist and Transplant Hepatologist
BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner of BC Cancer, which includes BC Cancer Research. Together with our donors, we are changing cancer outcomes for British Columbians by funding innovative research and personalized treatment and care.