New model to study genetic changes in liver cancer 

HUMAN LIVER ORGANOIDS WITH THE BAP1 MUTATION GO THROUGH DRAMATIC CHANGES. (BENEDETTA ARTEGIANI, HUBRECHT INSTITUTE)

The gene BAP1, when mutated, is known to be responsible for up to 20% of liver cancers. In a new study, scientists used CRISPR-Cas9 on a tiny cellular model of the liver, known as an organoid, to see how the mutated gene causes liver cells to become cancerous. Mutated BAP1 in liver organoids seemed to alter the behavior of liver cancer cells, including making them grow faster and more likely to fuse with other organoids to become invasive. But the researchers found that when unmutated BAP1 was added to the mutated organoids, the changes were reversed. Although BAP1 is only one of the many genes that influence tumors in the liver, the new model could allow researchers to study other genes and how they contribute to the development of liver cancer.