Oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans promotes tumor metastasis via thrombosis formation

• Project/Area Number: 24K19985
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57060:Surgical dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: 余 麗 北海道大学, 歯学研究院, 助教 (30979373)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2026-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
• Keywords: Thrombosis / Oral bacteria / Tumor metastasis

Outline of Research at the Start

Thrombosis is a well-known cardiovascular disease (CVD) complication that has caused death in many patients with cancer. The contribution of oral bacteria to systemic diseases including CVD and tumor metastasis has been reported, including ours which demonstrated that the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) promotes tumor metastasis by inducing vascular inflammation in the distant organs. Therefore, we hypothesize that oral bacteria-induced vascular inflammation promotes tumor metastasis by induing thrombosis.