Refractory cancer therapy development by cancer microenvironment elucidation and new drug delivery system based on autophagy

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25293287
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: NAGAI Eishi 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (30264021)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TANAKA Masao 九州大学, 医学研究院, 教授 (30163570) ; MAEYAMA Ryo 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (10611668) ; OHUCHIDA Kenoki 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (20452708) ; NAKATA Kohei 九州大学, 大学病院, 特別教員 (30419569) ; MIYASAKA Yoshihiro 九州大学, 医学研究院, 助教 (40507795) ; TOMA Hiroki 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (80437780)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: オートファジー / 癌微小環境 / 膵臓癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In pancreatic cancer, cancer microenvironment composed of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix play an important role in invasion, metastasis, and anti-cancer drug resistant. We studied relationship of cancer microenvironment and autophagy that has been shown greatly involved in the carcinogenesis and progress of cancer.
We found that autophagy of pancreatic stellate cells established from pancreatic cancer resections are enhanced compared to normal fibroblasts. Further, we reported that suppressing autophagy of pancreatic stellate cells decreased invasion and migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells in the indirect co-culture with pancreatic stellate cells. In addition, we reported that hypoxia, which is one of the major inducer of autophagy, promoted the migration of pancreatic cancer cells through the remodeling of extracellular matrix produced by pancreatic stellate cells.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学