Elucidation of the border region between tumor and bone marrow cells in bone metastasis

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19582
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Tumor biology and related fields
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Okamoto Kazuo 東京大学, 大学院医学系研究科(医学部), 特任准教授 (00436643)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 骨代謝 / がん / 骨転移 / 免疫

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Bone is one of the preferred sites for the metastasis of malignant tumors. Although the development of bone metastases is associated with a poor prognosis and shortened life expectancy for patients, it is still difficult to treat bone metastasis. While the cancer immunotherapies such as anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 antibodies has recently attracted much attention, their efficacies on bone metastasis is still limited. In this study, we focused on the unique type of tumor microenvironment in bone metastases, and tried to elucidate the mechanism underlying the tumor microenvironment formation in the bone marrow and the regulatory roles of bone cells in bone metastasis. By targeting the tumor microenvironment in the bone marrow, we aimed to establish novel therapeutic strategies to enhance anti-tumor immune response in bone metastasis.

Free Research Field

骨免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

遠隔臓器へのがん転移は、がんによる死亡の最大の要因となっている。しかしながら、いまだがん転移の制御は不十分であり、がん研究領域の克服すべき課題の一つである。本課題では、骨転移巣で形成される特徴的な「腫瘍細胞―骨髄境界領域」の形成に着目し、その形成機構の実態解明に取り組んだ。この境界領域を構成する細胞群は、骨転移に対する抗腫瘍免疫応答の抑制、および骨髄内の腫瘍進展に関与すると考えられる。本研究はがん骨転移の病理学的理解を深めるだけでなく、免疫学的アプローチによる新規の骨転移治療法開発の分子基盤の確立に繋がることが期待される。