Th17-suppressing novel regulatory T cells and the use thereof

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25460592
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Immunology
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Niki Toshiro 香川大学, 医学部, 助教 (40558508)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ガレクチン / 自己免疫疾患 / ガン / アレルギー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Galectin-9 an endogenous immunomodulator can normalize skewed immune balance and hence is supposed to have utilities for the treatment of refractory diseases including autoimmunities and cancers. We have been seeing galectin-9 as a promising seed molecule and have been studying it to elucidate the therapeutic mode-of-action and an appropriate disease indication for IND application. Through this research, we uncovered that the mode-of-action included signal transduction through a TNF-receptor superfamily 4-1BB and that the administration of galectin-9 demonstrated unprecedented therapeutic activities including 1)cytotoxicity in drug-resistant colon cancer cells by inducing incomplete autophagy, 2)drastic improvement of survival in an ischemia-reperfusion injury model in mice, 3)reactivation HIV from latently-infected cells and introduction of mutation in the viral genome. These results were summarized in research or patent articles and accepted for publications.

Free Research Field

免疫学