Group of Translational ResearchDivision of Biomarker Discovery (Kashiwa)

Biomarker Discovery Division is focused on the development of therapy not only for tumor reduction but also for improvement of cancer cachexia symptoms in pancreatic cancer. The crosstalk between tumor-induced inflammation and host reaction is a cause of cachexia symptoms, which has been elucidated in our research work of pancreatic cancer on neuro-inflammation by neural invasion, liver metastasis and tumor-derived interleukin-6 that have been built on patient-derived samples, interpretation of tumor-microenvironment and clinical data, and appropriate models to test experimental treatments. Investigator-initiated clinical trial and its translational research, which were conducted in National Cancer Center Hospital East and EPOC, revealed that the treatment of anti-inflammatory cytokine led the improvement of chemo-refractory, immune-microenvironment, and patients’ symptoms in pancreatic cancer.

We welcome the emerging corroborative study with external research institutes and drug discovery companies in order to develop novel therapies and biomarkers on interpretation of combining clinical samples and information, gene analyses, and various Omics information, which are built on the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the crosstalk between tumor-induced inflammation and host reaction.

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Research Concept

Case: Development of interleukin-6 inhibition-containing regimen for pancreatic cancer