Analysis of circulating tumor cells in gynecologic cancer applying cancer specific promoters and magnetic nanoparticles.

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K11270
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Kanazawa Medical University
• Principal Investigator: TAKAKURA Masahiro 金沢医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (20313661)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 前之園 信也 北陸先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 教授 (00323535)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 婦人科悪性腫瘍 / 末梢血中腫瘍細胞 / テロメラーゼ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the present study, we established a circulating tumor cells (CTC) detection system, in which plasmid vectors expressing fusion of membrane protein and tag protein driven by cancer specific promoters were transfected by electroporation to blood samples. The detection rate of CTCs were 80-90% using model samples, in which cancer cell-line cells were spiked into normal blood. On the other hand, recover rate of CTCs using ligand-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles was low at 20%, however, recovered living CTCs were able to growth in culture, suggesting this method is promising in future to analyze living CTCs, although further improvement is needed.

Free Research Field

婦人科悪性腫瘍

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

末梢血中腫瘍細胞（circulating tumor cells: CTC）は癌の新規バイオマーカーとして、またliquid biopsyの手段として注目を集めているが、その検出方法や応用法はいまだに発展途上である。現在主流の細胞膜表面抗原に頼った検出方法では様々に姿を変える癌細胞を捉えきれていないのが現状である。我々は癌の不死化能に着目し、不死化関連酵素であるテロメラーゼの活性化を指標として癌細胞を検出・分離するシステムを構築し、さらに磁性ナノ粒子を応用して従来は困難であった生細胞の回収・解析に向けた基礎データを示した。