Tailor-made medicine approach for control of cancer heterogeneity and drug resistance

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26430140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Tumor diagnostics
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Nagumo Yoko 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 助教 (70373339)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 薬剤感受性変動 / オーダーメード治療

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cancer may recur due to the development of drug resistance, even if the regression is seen in the first drug therapy. In this study, we aimed to develop a strategy to derive a tailor-made medicine that maintains sensitivity for a longer time by analyzing the modulation that various anticancer agents give to ovarian cancer cells.
As a result of creating a drug resistant cell library, we found a tendency for cells and drugs that are easy to obtain resistance, and found a combination that could obtain a synergistic effect when used in combination with resistant drugs, or one that was more sensitive. Furthermore, from the microarray analysis, when an inhibitor of a certain gene product was used, a resistance reducing effect was observed. From the above, selection of drugs to be used for resistant cancer cells, that is, information on tailor-made medicine was obtained.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

不均一性が特に高い卵巣がんを対象に、種々の抗がん剤が、個々のがん細胞に与える変動を解析することで、薬剤耐性を得やすい細胞・薬剤や、悪性度に関する情報を得た。次に、耐性化した場合に次に処理するべき薬剤の選出、感受性にシフトさせる投薬法についての情報が得られた。以上のストラテジーは、実際のがんに応用することで、感受性を維持し悪性度の低い状態に長く留めるためのオーダーメード投薬法に寄与するものである。