June 9, 2025 | Austin, Minn. — Dr. Jarrod French, PhD, associate professor at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, recently received a highly competitive $1.4 million R01 Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop more effective treatments for people with liver cancer.
“This grant will support our ability to better understand liver cancer, develop a drug that will help treat it, and prolong human life,” Dr. French said. “Right now, the current, top-of-the-line treatment extends a patient’s life by three to six months. We must do better.”
In the vast landscape of diseases we categorize as cancer, the one that grows in the liver is especially difficult to diagnosis and treat. Symptoms do not typically appear until the disease is in its later stages and, once diagnosed, treatment options are very limited.
“Our hope is to slow, and ultimately stop, the cancer growth,” Dr. French said. “If we can stop the tumor from growing, we can make it benign and give patients more options, so liver cancer is no longer such a death sentence.”
Identifying ways to slow tumor growth is the main thrust of Dr. French’s research that will be supported by the NIH grant. Specifically, his lab looks at ways to halt FGAMS, a protein that helps to make the building blocks for DNA and RNA.
“Using public data, we found people who have higher levels of the FGAMS protein have a lower liver cancer survival rate. That makes FGAMS a good target to look at more deeply,” Dr. French explained. “Then, using cryoEM, we solved the structure of FGAMS and are now able to look at the molecular details of the protein.”
Housed at The Hormel Institute, cryoEM, or cryogenic-sample electron microscopy, is a revolutionary technology that allows scientists to create 3D structures of tiny biological materials, including proteins like FGAMS. Along with a new test for FGAMS activity that was also developed in the French Lab, this structural information can be used to identify ways to slow down or inactivate the protein.
“While the process of making new medicines takes decades and costs billions of dollars, this work will form the foundation for the development of a new class of drug that could help extend the lives of people diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer,” he said.
Even with much more work left to do, receiving the highly competitive R01 grant means Dr. French’s data and ideas are strong enough to keep going.
“I was elated to receive this grant. Not just because we’re competing with the absolute best of the best in this field, but because it validates our work and shows that more is still possible,” Dr. French said. “Much of this funding supports lab personnel, and that means this money will be kept right here in Austin as we work together to extend patient lives and help them be healthier for longer.”
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Founded in 1942 by Jay C. Hormel and The Hormel Foundation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, makes scientific advancements that enhance wellbeing and extend human life. For more than 80 years, we have pursued our mission to conduct research and provide education in the biological sciences with applications in medicine and agriculture. A part of the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office, The Hormel Institute partners with the region's leading biomedical research facilities, including Mayo Clinic.