2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Development of new cancer therapy by tumor blood vessel-specific radiation therapy

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	19K22549
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Review Section	Medium-sized Section 50:Oncology and related fields
Research Institution	Tohoku University
Principal Investigator	GONDA Kohsuke 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (80375435)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	北村成史東北大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (50624912) 高野真由美東北大学, 医学系研究科, 大学院非常勤講師 (60806298)
Project Period (FY)	2019-06-28 – 2022-03-31
Keywords	腫瘍血管 / 血管新生 / 血管新生阻害剤 / 放射線治療 / ナノ粒子 / CT / イメージング
Outline of Final Research Achievements	In this study, we aimed to develop a method for improving the antitumor effect of an angiogenesis inhibitor (bevacizumab). In 2019, conditions for low-dose radiation therapy to be used in combination therapy with bevacizumab administration were examined. In addition, the tumor-bearing mice administered with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were irradiated with radiation, and radiosensitization effect of AuNPs on tumor shrinkage was investigated. In 2020, to evaluate the histological effect of combination therapy of angiogenesis inhibitor and radiation therapy, we developed techniques to investigate the "morphological change of tumor blood vessels" and "functional change of tumor blood vessels". In 2021, those evaluation technologies developed in 2020 were applied to the evaluation of the antitumor effect of mice in combination with angiogenesis inhibitors and radiation therapy.
Free Research Field	医工学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	全ての固形がんに有効な治療法として、血管新生阻害剤による腫瘍血管形成阻害を目的とした「兵糧攻め療法」が、半世紀近く前に提案された。しかし、血管新生阻害剤への獲得耐性のため、現在も期待されたほどの効果は示していない。本研究はこのような状況を打破するべく、放射線増感剤の金ナノ粒子を応用し、低線量の放射線治療と血管新生阻害剤による併用療法の開発を目的とした。よって本研究によって新たながん治療法の開発が進み、臨床応用への可能性が広がれば、今後のがん撲滅への波及効果は大きいと確信している。