Research Activities
In many patients that suffer from solid cancers, the presence or absence
of unresectable metastases profoundly affect their prognosis. Understanding
of the mechanism by which cancer cells with metastatic ability emerge
is crucial to eradicate metastasis. It was reported that some cancer cells
acquire the metastatic ability during an early phase of cancer development.
Therefore, it is one of the most important topics of cancer research to
elucidate how a metastatic cancer cells emerge during early stage, and
how such metastatic cells eventually form multiple metastasis.
In order to understand the mechanism of cancer metastasis, we analyze
metastasis of colon and pancreatic cancer cells using mouse model. Particularly
we focus on the role of 1) cancer stem cells, 2) microRNA, and 3) the
tumor suppressor pathways, in metastatic processes.
As another approach to investigate early oncogenesis, we are examining
the tumor suppressor pathways, especially mediated by p53 or APC, during
early stage of cancer using rat model of chemically-induced colon cancer.
Research Projects
- Functional roles of cancer stem cells in generation, progression and metastasis of cancer
- Identification of microRNAs that suppress tumorigenesis
- Metastasis and the p53 tumor suppressor pathway
- Regulation of tumor suppressor pathways in animal models of chemically-induced colon cancer
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