The study of combination immunotherapy of Wilms' Tumor 1 (WT1) peptide vaccine in pediatric brain tumor

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K18390
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56010:Neurosurgery-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Yokota Chisato 大阪大学, 医学系研究科, 招へい教員 (10771909)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: がんペプチドワクチン / WT1 / 膠芽腫 / 免疫チェックポイント / PD-1 / 複合免疫療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We established a mouse glioblastoma model in which tumor cells doubly expressed WT1 and PD-L1, and tumor infiltrating immune cells was analyzed in each therapy. We found that WT1 vaccine and anti PD-1 antibody therapies work in the different steps of Cancer-Immunity Cycle, and that their combination could work synergistically against glioblastoma. We clearly demonstrated the distinct difference mechanism in intratumoral immunity between cancer vaccine and immune checkpoint inhibitor under the same condition. Our results could provide us with the clear evidence for the combination of immunotherapies, and therefore the manuscript will be cited for future attempts of the combination immunotherapy.

Free Research Field

脳腫瘍

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、膠芽腫に対するWT1ペプチドワクチンと抗PD-1抗体の併用の有効性について初めて報告し、またこれらの治療が腫瘍内免疫環境に及ぼす効果の一端を明らかにした。膠芽腫は現在まで有効な根治治療がなく、既存の治療では十分な治療効果が得られていないため、複合免疫療法は今後膠芽腫の治療の膠芽腫の新たな治療法を示唆した。