Team Cure Cholangio

05/15/2026

Live update on Research Team Cure Cholangio funded in memory of Penny Ziegler, Arturo Mendoza and TJ Wallace. Starts at minute 46:23 and ends with mention of these three incredible warriors stolen way too soon at minute 52:14.

Chairs: Nabeel El-Bardeesy and Sumera IlyasThis session was recor...

05/13/2026

05/13/2026

We hope to see you at our next fundraiser!!! Thursday October 22 @ BBC Tavern and Grill, Greenville DE 19807. We would love you to be a guest bartender! Please pm me if interested. We are also seeking silent auction items. You can help us find more research in hopes of a cure for Cholangiocarcinoma!

05/10/2026

Team Cure Cholangio is excited to share that with your generous support we funded another research fellowship grant this year. This years research fellowship grant honors Steve Wilger and Hayes Calvin, two incredible warriors stolen way too soon. The research fellowship grant was awarded to Xue Wang, at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Here is information about the research we are funding! so exciting! more research is more hope!

Title: YAP Inhibition–Based Combination Immunotherapy for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a deadly liver cancer that weakens the body’s immune defenses and prevents immune cells from attacking the tumor. The most common immunotherapy, called immune checkpoint inhibitor–based combination therapy, helps some patients but is not very effective overall. To improve treatment, we need to understand why ICC tumors are able to suppress the body’s immune response. Our research has identified a protein called YAP that helps ICC tumors avoid being attacked by the immune system. When we turned off YAP in a mouse model of ICC, the tumors became smaller and more immune cells, especially T cells, entered the tumor. In patients, tumors with higher YAP activity had fewer T cells, suggesting that YAP makes the tumor environment more resistant to immune attack. Importantly, when YAP inhibition was combined with an immunotherapy drug, this approach effectively suppressed tumor growth. We also found that YAP controls certain molecules that influence how immune cells behave in the tumor. Together, these findings suggest that YAP activation helps create an environment in the tumors that weakens the body’s immune response. Based on these results, our research aims to understand how YAP drives this immune-suppressive environment in ICC and to test whether combining a YAP inhibitor with immunotherapy can more effectively control tumor growth. This project has strong potential to lead to new treatment strategies that could improve outcomes for patients with this aggressive and often fatal liver cancer.

05/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/100063828321113/posts/1460038922800371/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Intera Oncology aims to change the course for patients with colorectal cancer and choloangiocarinoma with the hepatic artery infusion pump.

04/18/2026

So proud of our incredible Board member Morgan for sharing her story to raise awareness about Cholangio

31 likes, 6 comments. "For MONTHS, My RARE CANCER Symptoms Were Dismissed!"

04/16/2026

Great information from the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Australia- Make sure you follow them and add them to your must reads!

https://www.facebook.com/100064617555241/posts/1362026632627909/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

📰 Cholangio Today.
🔷 Immunotherapy does not create an immune response

This is where immunotherapy is often misunderstood.

Immunotherapy does not create a response.
It releases one that is already there.

It works by removing the brake on the immune system,
allowing existing T cells to continue their attack.

But this only works if something is already happening.

In most cholangiocarcinomas:

→ The tumour is not clearly seen
→ The immune system has not activated
→ There are few or no T cells present

So there is nothing to release.

When immunotherapy is given in this setting:

No recognition.
No engagement.
No meaningful change.

Not because the drug failed.
But because the system was never active.

This is the reality:

Most cholangiocarcinomas are cold tumours,
with little immune cell presence and limited response to immunotherapy

THAT MEANS
Not drug failure. There was no system to activate.
Their tumour was never visible to begin with.

So the question changes:

Not
“Why didn’t it work?”

But
“Was there a response there to release?”

That is where clarity begins.
That is where better decisions begin.

Full breakdown:
https://cholangio.org/immunotherapy-cholangiocarcinoma/

04/15/2026

Advocating for yourself with a rare cancer can be a full time job

https://www.facebook.com/61572742027868/posts/122187197252758067/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

A cancer diagnosis or any illness asks of you a kind of courage most people never expect to need.

The kind it takes to speak up,
to ask another question when the room has already started to move on,
to say this does not feel right even when the person across from you has more degrees, more experience, more authority.

Advocating for yourself can feel uncomfortable. It can feel intimidating. It can feel like you are being difficult, dramatic, or overthinking.

But you are not.

Because while doctors are experts in medicine,
you are the only expert in your body.
You are the one who lives in it.
You are the one who feels the subtle shifts, the quiet alarms, the things that do not quite add up.
And sometimes those whispers matter.

This is not about blame.
Not everyone has symptoms that point clearly to something serious.
Not everyone has access, resources, or the ability to push for more.
And this is not about looking back and questioning what should have been done differently.

This is about moving forward with permission.

Permission to ask for more testing.
Permission to get a second opinion.
Permission to say I do not feel heard.
Permission to trust that feeling in your gut that something needs a closer look.

You only get one body.
One life inside of it.

And advocating for yourself does not make you difficult.
It makes you engaged in your own care.
It makes you an active participant in your life.

It is okay to take up space in the room.
It is okay to ask the extra question.
It is okay to push back when something does not sit right.

You are allowed to fight for yourself.
Even when your voice shakes.
Even when it would be easier to stay quiet.

Especially then.

Jessica's Healing Journey 💙

03/17/2026

Thank you ever so much Representative Burns.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dj4rNf3Ry/

Cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive form ​of cancer that severely affects the digestive system, specifically the bile ducts. It is typically seen in older men, but recently, we’ve seen a rise in this kind of cancer among younger people. Getting a diagnosis for this disease can be particularly difficult because the symptoms can mimic those of other diseases.

I presented a resolution to increase the focus on and bring awareness of this disease to Delaware, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to Jan Meyer, the Chair & Founder of Team Cure Cholangio, for sharing your expertise with my colleagues and I. Taking time to learn and understand the complexities of this illness is the first step toward finding a cure.

03/13/2026

Yesterday I was honored to officially be presented with the Proclamation Document for World Cholangiocarcinoma Day by Governor Matt Meyer in his office (photos coming soon) and it was a great opportunity to share information about cholangiocarcinoma to both he and his team. Delaware was the first state to declare World Cholangiocarcinoma Day 8 years ago!
I then was honored to speak in front of the State Senate and then in the State House about cholangiocarcinoma. Thank you to Senator Poore and Representative Burns and their team Libby and Justin for all their hard work to make this happen and for making cholangiocarcinoma patients feel seen. Special thanks also to our good friend and Team Cure Cholangio volunteer MJ Anders who joined us for the day. MJ was Team Cure Cholangio's very first volunteer. We couldn't do it without the support of MJ and all the other many incredible volunteers who continue to step up regularly and to the amazingly generous local businesses who support us. Thank you also to those who donate and partner with us to fund research in hopes of a cure for cholangiocarcinoma. 100% of all money we raise is earmarked for research only.
More photos coming soon.