2 Research Projects
In this division, two research projects are now in progress, one leading directly to therapeutic approaches and the second leading to establishment of innovative therapeutic systems, and the other leading to suppression to metastasis.
(1) Project leading directly to therapeutic approaches
Against malignant tumors which have standard regimens, human genome and gene analysis is performed in conjunction with histopathological diagnosis in order to improve a definite diagnosis. In future, we also plan to establish a new therapeutic system against these tumors. On the other hand, against malignant tumors, which have no standard regimen, we carry out the chemosensitivity assay of human tumor cells using fresh clinical specimens in order to select the most appropriate antitumor agents.
(2) Analysis of Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer Metastasis
We are trying to reveal molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis by comparing the phenotypes between low- and high-metastatic tumor cells and characterizing the genes involved in metastasis, aiming at eventual application of the obtained knowledge for preventing metastasis and predicting prognosis. We are also examining the effects of microenvironmental factors and tumor cell-host cell interactions on tumor metastasis.
Projects
EEstablishment of new therapeutic systems by translational research
ECancer Metastais: molecular mechanism and tumor microenvironment
Histopathological diagnosis is the basis of definite diagnosis of tumors, however, in some cases the difficulties arise during the process of diagnosis. The possibility that human genome and gene analysis contributes to making a definite diagnosis appears to be extremely high, and this helps to decide the succeeding therapeutic approaches. Therefore, a translational research (TR) group was instituted in the Chiba Cancer Center Research Institute (CCCRI) across all of the divisions. In collaboration with the Medical Divisions as well as the Divisions of Surgical Pathology and Clinical Laboratory in the Chiba Cancer Center Hospital, TR group performs human genome and gene analysis to tumor specimens from patients who give their informed consent to participate, and develops to make a definite diagnosis as well as to establish a new therapeutic system. In future, TR group plans to apply the new genes, which have been found and characterized by the CCCRI, to the clinics and to develop the own therapeutic and diagnostic methods
3 Selected papers (2002-present) --Publication List
1. Kozlova N, Takenaga K. A procedure for culturing astrocytes from white matter, and the application of the siRNA technique for silencing the expression of their specific marker, S100A4. Brain Res Brain Res Protoc. 15, 59-65, 2005.
2. Koshikawa N, Iyozumi A, Gassmann M, Takenaga K. Constitutive upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 mRNA occurring in highly metastatic lung carcinoma cells leads to vascular endothelial growth factor overexpression upon hypoxic exposure. Oncogene, 22, 6717-6724, 2003.
3. Iwadate Y, Fujimoto S, Namba H, Yamaura A. Promising survival for patients with glioblastoma multiforme treated with individualized chemotherapy based on in vitro drug sensitivity testing. Br J Cancer, 89, 1896-1900, 2003.
4. Endo H, Takenaga K, Kanno T, Satoh H, Mori S. Methionine aminopeptidase 2 is a new target for the metastasis-associated protein, S100A4. J Biol Chem, 277, 26396-26402, 2002.
5. Iwadate Y, Fujimoto S, Yamaura A. Differential chemosensitivity in human intracereberal gliomas measured by flow cytometric DNA analysis. Int J Mol Med, 10, 187-192, 2002.
