Identification of novel biomarkers for pancreatic and liver cancer

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25640077
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Tumor diagnostics
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: HASEGAWA Kouichi 京都大学, 物質-細胞統合システム拠点, 講師 (50378890)
• Research Collaborator: PERA Martin F メルボルン大学, 教授 ; SARKAR Subhanwita インド国立幹細胞生物学再生医学研究センター(inStem), 研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 腫瘍診断 / 腫瘍マーカー / 抗体 / 膵癌 / 胆管癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pancreatic cancer has almost no symptoms and is difficult to diagnose in early phase. Therefore, the survival rate after 5 years of diagnosis is approximately 5% and worst among cancers. Although several pancreatic cancer markers, such as CA19-9, are used for diagnosis, the markers are less specific and difficult to use for early phase of the cancer. In previous study, we have developed novel pancreatic cancer marker GCTM-5 by utilizing similarity between pancreatic cancer and pancreatic progenitors differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. However GCTM-5 also marks some of liver cancer. Therefore we challenged identification of components of GCTM-5 antigen complex in pancreatic and liver cancers, and development of more specific marker antibodies. Through this project, we have identified molecules specifically expressed in GCTM-5-positive pancreatic or liver cancer, and developed new antibodies recognize pancreatic cancer.

Free Research Field

幹細胞生物学