Proton radiation therapy combined with immunotherapy for enhancing antitumor immune responses in pancreatic cancer murine models.

• Project/Area Number: 24K10423
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 50020:Tumor diagnostics and therapeutics-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Nasti Alessandro 金沢大学, 医薬保健学総合研究科, 特任准教授 (20830871)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 関 晃裕 金沢大学, 附属病院, 助教 (00733859)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2029-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2028: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
• Keywords: Proton radiation / Immunotherapy / Pancreatic cancer / Immune response / Combination therapy

Outline of Research at the Start

The increasing understanding of the host immune response in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) shaped new opportunities for personalized immunotherapy. PDAC is associated with immune response (Cancer Sci 2015, 2017), and combination immunotherapies enhance the anticancer response (Cancer Sci 2019, J Immunother Cancer 2020). We will establish new therapeutic combinations for PDAC by proton therapy plus immunomodulatory agents, clarify the enhanced anti-tumor mechanisms in the context of biological changes, and develop basic research for translation purposes.