The development of the strategy for the treatment of metastatic bone tumors with cryoimmunology

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K18006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56020:Orthopedics-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya City University
• Principal Investigator: HIsaki Aiba 名古屋市立大学, 医薬学総合研究院(医学), 助教 (70793834)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: metastatic bone tumor

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cryo-immunology is a phenomenon in which cancer antigens are released throughout the body by freezing cancer cells. The activation effect of the immune system by these antigens has been reported as the Abscopal effect.
In this study, we conducted an experiment to investigate the activation effect of cryo-immunology by frozen tumor bone transplantation on metastatic bone tumor models, as well as the additional effect of combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In verification using breast cancer cell lines, we confirmed the Abscopal effect on metastatic bone tumors by performing frozen tumor bone transplantation, but no additional effect was observed with the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Currently, we are verifying the data up to the final year and proceeding with analysis of other cancer types.

Free Research Field

Orthopaedic oncology

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

転移性骨腫瘍は進行期に発見されることが多く難治性の病態とされているが、凍結免疫を用いた骨腫瘍の治療法により、予後改善につながる可能性がある。免疫状態が賦活化されることのメカニズムが解明されることで、今後有効な薬物療法や手術方法の開発の一助となりうる。我々の行った実験は転移性骨腫瘍に対するアブスコパル効果の評価モデルとしてオリジナリティがあり、研究手法としても今後有用であると考える。