Identification of co-expressed gene sets for major molecular initiating events in rodent liver carcinogenesis using wild type and knock out rats

Can early gene activity help identify how chemicals may contribute to liver tumors?

A new preprint from HESI Global’s eSTAR Carcinogenomics Workgroup identifies candidate gene sets linked to six early biological events in rat liver carcinogenesis. Researchers compared responses in wild-type and knockout rats after five days of chemical exposure to pinpoint changes tied to each pathway.

The findings will help develop biomarkers for shorter, more informative studies of chemical effects. Further work is needed to refine and validate the gene sets.

Read the preprint: Venneman et al., 2026. Identification of co-expressed gene sets for major molecular initiating events in rodent liver carcinogenesis using wild type and knock out rats. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.15.751815

Learn more about the HESI Global eSTAR Committee