Development of T-cell immunotherapy for cancer and viral disease

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K08153
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Iwahori Kota 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 特任講師(常勤) (80566448)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: がん免疫療法 / Tリンパ球

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Tetracyclines enhanced antitumor T-cell cytotoxicity in human peripheral T cells, murine models, and the lung tumor tissues of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated the effects of minocycline on the outcomes of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant NSCLC treated with first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors based on a retrospective analysis and showed that the administration of minocycline correlated with good progression-free survival and overall survival. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of demeclocycline for patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a focus on T-cell responses, and found a significant increase in the number of peripheral CD4+ T cells in the tetracycline-treated group, which negatively correlated with plasma interleukin-6 levels.

Free Research Field

腫瘍免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は、これまでがん免疫療法で用いられてきた免疫チェックポイント阻害薬などと異なる作用機序に基づいたテトラサイクリン系化合物のT細胞性免疫応答賦活作用を明らかにしたものである。本研究成果を発展させることにより、今後従来の免疫チェックポイント阻害薬とは異なる新たな作用機序に基づいたがん治療薬の開発が期待される。