Clinical Resources and Clinical Trials
A major focus of the KI-MCM network is to support clinical and translational research by facilitating access to relevant clinical data and materials, and by guiding researchers toward suitable clinical collaboration partners.
KaroLiver - a large retrospective cohort for metastases research
The KaroLiver cohort is a clinicopathological research cohort coupled to ongoing research projects driven by Marco Gerling, Jennie Engstrand, and Carlos Fernández Moro.
The cohort currently comprises data from more than 1,100 surgical procedures for colorectal cancer liver metastases, as well as over 1,500 histopathological images.
For the majority of patients, fresh tissue and blood samples have been collected and stored in the liver biobank.
IMAGINE - a theranostics clinical trial to chart the metastatic microenvironment
The Theranostics Trial Centreat Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet has initiated the IMAGINE-1 study, a novel PET imaging trial for precision diagnostics in liver tumors. The first study participant has been successfully examined in December 2025.
IMAGINE-1 evaluates a new PET tracer, [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-ATH001, designed to visualise expression of PDGFRβ, a key protein involved in tumour-associated fibrosis that can limit drug delivery. The study investigates PDGFRβ expression in liver tumours prior to surgery, with the long-term goal of enabling more personalised treatment strategies, particularly for patients with liver metastases.
The study is supported by private funding, the KI MCM network, the Sjöberg foundation, and the Theranostics Trial Centre. Initial results show increased tracer uptake in liver metastases compared with surrounding healthy tissue.
IMAGINE-1 is the result of close collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and imaging specialists at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, and builds on long-standing research into tumour–stroma interactions.
Contact
Contact Marco Gerling and Jennie Engstrand to discuss opportunities to collaborate using KaroLiver.
Contact Ernesto Sparrelid for the liver biobank.
Contact Antonios Tzortzakakis, Rimma Axelsson or Marco Gerling for IMAGINE-1