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‹ Sat · 30 May 2026
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SQLE as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for LIHC: a multi-cohort and spatial study.

A metabolic enzyme emerges as both a marker and potential drug target in liver cancer, linking cancer growth to cholesterol-making processes.

A multi-cohort and spatial transcriptomics study identifies SQLE (squalene epoxidase) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma, validated across multiple independent cohorts. SQLE is part of cholesterol synthesis and represents a metabolic vulnerability potentially targetable in liver cancer.

What the study was

Study design
Multi-cohort retrospective biomarker study with spatial transcriptomics
Population
Hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) patients; multi-cohort analysis
Category
Diagnostics
Maturity
Validated
Journal
NPJ precision oncology

Why it surfaced

Multi-cohort validated biomarker in HCC; spatial transcriptomics data is a strength. Sample size unknown from abstract.

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