Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the main form of primary liver cancer, is the second leading cause of tumor-related death in the world. The burden of HCC in developing countries represents a major challenge in global public health for the oncoming decades. Incidence of HCC is closely associated with the distribution of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses. Clinically, HCC patients have a very poor prognosis and high 5-year mortality rate except when detected early.

As a result, HCC early detection is a critical parameter to anticipate the initiation of a tumor process, but affordable and accurate diagnostic tools are lacking.

COCLICAN proposes to tackle this issue by building a collaborative network of researchers and clinicians in three continents: Europe, South America, and Asia.

This international team will analyze and compare metabolomic profiles of a consistent cohort of HBV-HBC infected patients to delineate molecules which are predictive of the emergence of liver cancer.

They will also assess the performance of a low-cost and open-source echo-stethoscope connected to a smartphone, specially adapted to low-income countries.

COCLICAN has been designed to enhance research collaborations, to improve innovation potential at the European and global levels and to respond to the health needs of underserved populations.

The COCLICAN PROJECT

The COCLICAN PROJECT