Development of cancer stem cell targeting chemotherapy by evaluating microtubule dynamics

• Project/Area Number: 24700960
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Tumor biology
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: HAMANAKA Yohei 東北大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 大学院非常勤講師 (10463788)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
• Keywords: 抗腫瘍効果 / 微小管伸長速度 / 幹細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We prepared and cultured GFP-fused EB1-expressing human breast cancer cells, and treated the cultured cells with various anti-cancer drugs to determine the growth-inhibitory concentrations. Microtubule growth rates of the cells were measured by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Microtubule growth rates slowed and trackable times of microtubule growth ends shortened as the concentrations of the anti-cancer agents increased. The results suggest that an optimum drug administration condition to eradicate living cancer cells even under high concentrations of the anti-cancer agents can be ascertained by evaluating microtubule dynamics.