Analysis of immune response against cancer, which may lead to establishment of WT1 peptide-based immunotherapy for the conventional treatment-resistant malignancies in the respiratory medicine field

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K09173
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Respiratory organ internal medicine
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: OKA YOSHIHIRO 大阪大学, 医学系研究科, 寄附講座教授 (20273691)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 武田 吉人 大阪大学, 医学系研究科, 助教 (40452388) ; 大塚 倫之 大阪大学, 医学部附属病院, 特任助教(常勤) (20730576)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: WT1 / ペプチドワクチン / 癌抗原 / 癌免疫療法 / 胸部悪性腫瘍

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Analysis of immune response against cancer, focused on cancer antigen WT1-specific immune response, was performed, aiming at the development of WT1 peptide-based immunotherapy for malignancies including those in the respiratory medicine field.
We succeeded in gene cloning of T cell receptor of mouse WT1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This achievement provided the molecular basis for the mouse in vivo experiment system to analyze WT1-specific immunity, which we had established previously. Based on cDNA microarray analysis of blood samples, Syndecan-4 was shown to be a biomarker to predict clinical outcome of patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated by WT1 vaccine. It was shown that WT1 peptide vaccination induces not only WT1-specific cellular immunity but also WT1-specific antibody. Successful results of clinical studies of WT1 peptide vaccine, including those for thymic malignancies, pancreas cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia, were obtained.

Free Research Field

呼吸器内科学、腫瘍免疫学