Establishment of a mouse model of Oct4-positive lung cancer stem cells and development of innovative therapies to eradicate cancer stem cells

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19529
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 53:Organ-based internal medicine and related fields
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Ohashi Kadoaki 岡山大学, 大学病院, 准教授 (60729193)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 木浦 勝行 岡山大学, 医学部, 客員研究員 (10243502) ; 片山 量平 公益財団法人がん研究会, がん化学療法センター 基礎研究部, 部長 (60435542)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 非小細胞癌 / 癌幹細胞 / Oct4

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have attracted attention as a cause of lung cancer that cannot be cured by drug therapy, but their pathogenesis is not yet understood. The aim of this study was to establish a mouse model of CSCs and to identify novel therapeutic targets against CSCs. Possible CSCs were selected from the lung tumors of the crossbred mice using Oct4 as a marker, and their characteristics as CSCs, such as viability and multidrug resistance, were evaluated. In addition, we will attempt to identify novel therapeutic targets in CSCs and their tumor microenvironment by gene expression analysis.

Free Research Field

呼吸器の悪性腫瘍

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

上皮成長因子受容体遺伝子変異を有する肺癌（EGFR肺癌）は、非喫煙者に発生する肺腺癌の半数以上を占める非常に重要な疾患であるが、薬物療法での根治は困難である。免疫チェックポイント阻害薬など腫瘍免疫療法の効果が乏しいタイプであることも知られており、根治を目指す治療戦略の標的として、多分化能と多剤薬剤耐性能を持つ癌幹細胞（cancer stem cells：CSCs)の病態を探索することは、革新的な治療法の確立につながる可能性があり非常に意義が高い。