Realization of microRNA drug discovery, overcoming intractable cancer through medicine-engineering-pharmacy collaboration

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K08660
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 55020:Digestive surgery-related
• Research Institution: Osaka Medical College
• Principal Investigator: Uchiyama Kazuhisa 大阪医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (80232867)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 赤尾 幸博 岐阜大学, 大学院連合創薬医療情報研究科, 特任教授 (00222505) ; 谷口 高平 大阪医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (70779686)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: microRNA / 核酸医薬 / 大腸癌 / 乳癌 / ドラッグデリバリー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We performed several experiments to establish the microRNA(miRNA) therapy as a novel therapeutic strategy for intractable cancer in this project. We achieved the following three main results during our research period. First, to examine the effects of miRNA, we tried to create a mouse model of pelvic recurrence of colorectal cancer, and we succeeded in the mouse model. Second, we indicated the induction effect of miRNA to cancer cells using peptide-carrier developed by our collaborators. Third, we examined the anti-cancer effects of novel synthetic miRNA-145 developed by our collaborators in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The first and second results have already been reported as articles. Regarding the third result, we are currently continuing with the verification process.

Free Research Field

難治性固形癌

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、現存の治療法で根治不能な難治性固形癌に対し、癌抑制型miRNA補充療法の実現を目指した。miRNA創薬の実現には、投与した癌抑制型miRNAが治療目的とする臓器で適切に作用することが必要で、有効なmiRNA輸送システムを構築しなければならない。本研究の遂行から、対象疾患の状況を反映した動物モデルが作成でき、miRNAの抗腫瘍効果を検証することが可能となった。また、miRNA運搬キャリアの候補としてペプチドキャリアが有効性が示唆されると共に、合成miRNAを用いたmiRNA補充療法の有効性も一部確認されたことは、今後、癌抑制型miRNA補充療法の実現に向けた検証に繋がる成果となった。