The exact mechanism driving FLC is not presently known, but researchers are working to learn the answer. In 2014, a unique fusion gene (called DNAJB1-PRKACA) that is common to most fibrolamellar tumors was discovered at Rockefeller University, and confirmed by other researchers. Because this fusion gene appears in the large majority of cases of the disease, it is likely to be very important to how FLC forms. Researchers have already shown that this mutated gene can cause liver cancer to form in mice. Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact role this gene fusion or chimera plays in the development of fibrolamellar, and the fusion gene has become a key target for new treatments for the disease.