AKT1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Concurrently, Zhai B’s research group (2014) further elucidated the critical role of Akt activation in sorafenib resistance, demonstrating how inhibiting Akt can transform autophagy from a protective to a pro-apoptotic mechanism, thus reversing resistance and presenting a novel targeted therapy strategy for patients with advanced HCC (Zhai et al., 2014).