Novel vaccination targeting stem cells of cervical cancer

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K11285
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Sapporo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Saito Tsuyoshi 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (90145566)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 鳥越 俊彦 札幌医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (20301400)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 子宮頸癌 / がん幹細胞 / 免疫療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiating cells (CICs) are a small subpopulation of cancer cells that are tumorigenic and are resistant to treatments, thus they are focused as treatment targets. We have established sphere-cultured CSCs/CICs from primary human uterine cervical carcinoma, and we isolated several clones from CSCs/CICs in this study. Thus, BORIS sf6 is a cervical CSC/CIC-specific subfamily and has a role in the maintenance of cervical CSCs/CICs. A BORIS C34_24(9)-specific cytotoxic T cell (CTL) clone showed cytotoxicity for BORIS sf6-overexpressing cervical cancer cells. Taken together, the results indicate that the CT antigen BORIS sf6 is specifically expressed in cervical CSCs/CICs, that BORIS sf6 has a role in the maintenance of CSCs/CICs, and that BORIS C34_24(9) peptide is a promising candidate for cervical CSC/CIC-targeting immunotherapy.

Free Research Field

婦人科腫瘍

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

子宮頸癌は比較的若い女性に好発する腫瘍で、これらの若年女性達の子宮頸癌での喪失は、家族の幸福を奪うばかりではなく社会的・経済的な損失も大きい。化学療法や放射線療法に抵抗性の腫瘍も少なくなく新しい治療が望まれるところである。今回の研究はがん幹細胞に対する免疫療法の確立をめざし、子宮がん細胞株から幹細胞を選別しこれに対する特異抗原を同定し免疫療法へ応用への可能性を検討し、蛋白の一部が免疫療法に使うことが出来うることを証明した。