Development of therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma by simultaneously targeting tumor stem cells and differentiated tumor cells

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16632
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56010:Neurosurgery-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Fujii Kentaro 岡山大学, 医歯薬学域, 助教 (40799318)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Glioblastoma / 膠芽腫幹細胞 / 分化型膠芽腫細胞 / 薬剤併用療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In glioblastoma tissues, glioblastoma cells exist in differentiated glioblastoma cells and glioblastoma stem cell states and are reported to cooperate with each other. We focused on the differences in gene expression between stem cells and differentiated cells, determined therapeutic agents that target each of them, and examined their combined effects. The results showed that the combination of drugs produced synergistic anti-tumor effects compared to the single drug administration. These results were demonstrated In vitro and In vivo. Similar results were also obtained when the drugs were administered to different glioblastoma cells. We believe that these results indicate the possibility of developing a new treatment for glioblastoma.

Free Research Field

脳神経外科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

膠芽腫は脳実質の発生する悪性の腫瘍であり、長年その治療方法は研究の対象となっている。しかしながら、生命予後を飛躍的に延長する治療の開発には至っていない。我々の研究では、膠芽腫組織内での腫瘍細胞の遺伝子発現の差異に着目し併用治療に用いる薬剤を決定する、という新しい手法の有用性について検討した。結果として治療に用いた薬剤A、Bは単剤で投与する場合と比較して、相乗的な効果をもたらすことが確認された。またこの結果は細胞レベルのみならず、動物実験レベルでも確認された。膠芽腫に対する新規治療方法開発の可能性が示された。