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 profile is now published in BMJ open Cohort profile: KaroLiver, a population-based cohort of patients receiving curative liver-directed treatment for colorectal liver metastases at a Swedish tertiary centre.
KaroLiver is a collaborative, living research cohort on liver metastases, built in collaboration with CLINTEC and the Department of Laboratory Medicine at KI, as well as Karolinska University Hospital.
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 Centre at 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.
We are grateful for funding from the Erling Persson Foundation that supports the IMAGINE program with 6 MSEK from 2027 - 2029. Congratulations to Arne Östman, the main applicant, and the entire IMAGINE team at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, CLINTEC, and the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, as well as Karolinska University Hospital.
IMAGINE also receives funding from Radiumhemmet’s Research Foundation, the Sjöberg Foundation, ALF, and a private donor. Many thanks for this support!
Contact
KaroLiver
Marco Gerling and Jennie Engstrand to discuss opportunities to collaborate using KaroLiver.
Liver Biobank
Ernesto Sparrelid for the liver biobank.
IMAGINE-1
Antonios Tzortzakakis, Rimma Axelsson or Marco Gerling for IMAGINE-1