| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
T-cell-based immunotherapy has been proposed as a promising therapeutic approach to improve the clinical outcome for head and neck carcinoma (HNSCC).
In this study, we determined novel promiscuous EGFR epitopes that induced CD4 T-cell responses to HNSCC. The peptide-reactive CD4 T cells were capable of directly killing HNSCC cells. T cells reactive with the peptide could be detected in HNSCC patients. EGFR-reactive CD4 T cells were also able to recognise several peptide analogues derived from HER-2, HER-3 and c-Met. Finally, we examined the effects of EGFR inhibitors on CD4 T cell tumour reactivity. Treatment of tumour cells with the EGFR inhibitors enhanced tumour recognition by CD4 T cells presumably due to the upregulation of HLA-DR expression on the HNSCC cells.
These observations should facilitate the translation of T-cell-based immunotherapy into the clinic for the treatment of HNSCC and provide a rational basis for EGFR inhibition, immune-targeted combination therapy.
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