Annual Report 2019
Division of Cancer Immunotherapy
Tetsuya Nakatsura, Yasushi Uemura, Shigehisa Kitano, Toshiaki Yoshikawa, Keigo Saito, Manami Shimomura, Kyoko Fukuda, Shoichi Mizuno, Norihiro Fujinami, Shiho Ueda, Arnaud Couzinet, Kayoko Shoda, Yukiko Kozaki, Karin Iwasa, Hiroaki Mashima, Ryoko Sasaki, Daiki Ikarashi, Charneau Jimmy, Lin Chiahsuan, Toshihiro Suzuki, Megumi Ozaki
Introduction
Our Division aims to investigate evidenced-based cancer immunotherapy, repeating basic research and translational research. This Division is focused on developing not only more effective immunotherapies but also immunological methods for suppression of recurrence or for cancer prevention.
Research activities
1) More than 10 English papers were accepted.
2) Public research funds and joint research funds were constantly obtained, and joint research with companies and academia increased.
3) Collaborative research with companies aiming for clinical trials of neoantigen peptide vaccines is ongoing.
4) We started joint research with a company aiming to develop personalized T cell therapy.
5) We started a Phase I clinical trial of FITC-CAR-T therapy targeting CD20 in cooperation with Prof. Tamada at Yamaguchi University.
6) We are preparing to start a Phase I clinical trial of iPS cell-derived CAR-T cell therapy targeting GPC3 in cooperation with Dr. Kaneko at Kyoto University’s CiRA.
7) We remodeled the CPC and completed the notification to the Kanto Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare as a cell processing facility. We plan to produce CAR-T cells in a Phase I clinical trial of new CAR-T cell therapy.
Education
Our Division accepted and trained the following trainees: Students on the Doctoral course at Graduate School of Medicine and Medical Doctors, students on the Doctors course and Masters course at Tokyo University of Science in France and Taiwan, and Residents and Senior Residents of NCCHE.
Future prospects
Immune check point blockades like anti-PD-1 antibodies or anti-PD-L1 antibodies and CAR-T cell therapy targeting CD19 showed high clinical effects, so the development of innovative cancer immunotherapy is required. We continue to undertake activities associated with bridging basic research and clinical application aiming at the development of novel immunotherapeutic methods.
List of papers published in 2019
Journal
1. Imaizumi K, Suzuki T, Kojima M, Shimomura M, Sakuyama N, Tsukada Y, Sasaki T, Nishizawa Y, Taketomi A, Ito M, Nakatsura T. Ki67 expression and localization of T cells after neoadjuvant therapies as reliable predictive markers in rectal cancer. Cancer Sci, 111:23-35, 2020
2. Shimizu Y, Mizuno S, Fujinami N, Suzuki T, Saito K, Konishi M, Takahashi S, Gotohda N, Tada T, Toyoda H, Kumada T, Miura M, Suto K, Yamaji T, Matsuda T, Endo I, Nakatsura T. Plasma and tumoral glypican-3 levels are correlated in patients with hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Sci, 111:334-342, 2020
3. Okada M, Tada Y, Seki T, Tohyama S, Fujita J, Suzuki T, Shimomura M, Ofuji K, Kishino Y, Nakajima K, Tanosaki S, Someya S, Kanazawa H, Senju S, Nakatsura T, Fukuda K. Selective elimination of undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells using pluripotent state-specific immunogenic antigen Glypican-3. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 511:711-717, 2019
4. Shimizu Y, Suzuki T, Yoshikawa T, Endo I, Nakatsura T. Next-Generation Cancer Immunotherapy Targeting Glypican-3. Front Oncol, 9:248, 2019
5. Akazawa Y, Mizuno S, Fujinami N, Suzuki T, Yoshioka Y, Ochiya T, Nakamoto Y, Nakatsura T. Usefulness of serum microRNA as a predictive marker of recurrence and prognosis in biliary tract cancer after radical surgery. Sci Rep, 9:5925, 2019
6. Akazawa Y, Nobuoka D, Takahashi M, Yoshikawa T, Shimomura M, Mizuno S, Fujiwara T, Nakamoto Y, Nakatsura T. Higher human lymphocyte antigen class I expression in early-stage cancer cells leads to high sensitivity for cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Cancer Sci, 110:1842-1852, 2019
7. Shitara K, Ueha S, Shichino S, Aoki H, Ogiwara H, Nakatsura T, Suzuki T, Shimomura M, Yoshikawa T, Shoda K, Kitano S, Yamashita M, Nakayama T, Sato A, Kuroda S, Wakabayashi M, Nomura S, Yokochi S, Ito S, Matsushima K, Doi T. First-in-human phase 1 study of IT1208, a defucosylated humanized anti-CD4 depleting antibody, in patients with advanced solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer., 7:195, 2019
8. Shimizu Y, Yoshikawa T, Kojima T, Shoda K, Nosaka K, Mizuno S, Wada S, Fujimoto Y, Sasada T, Kohashi K, Bando H, Endo I, Nakatsura T. Heat shock protein 105 peptide vaccine could induce antitumor immune reactions in a phase I clinical trial. Cancer Sci, 110:3049-3060, 2019
9. Tsuchiya N, Zhang R, Iwama T, Ueda N, Liu T, Tatsumi M, Sasaki Y, Shimoda R, Osako Y, Sawada Y, Kubo Y, Miyashita A, Fukushima S, Cheng Z, Nakaki R, Takubo K, Okada S, Kaneko S, Ihn H, Kaisho T, Nishimura Y, Senju S, Endo I, Nakatsura T, Uemura Y. Type I Interferon Delivery by iPSC-Derived Myeloid Cells Elicits Antitumor Immunity via XCR1+ Dendritic Cells. Cell Rep, 29:162-175.e9, 2019
10. Akazawa Y, Hosono A, Yoshikawa T, Kaneda H, Nitani C, Hara J, Kinoshita Y, Kohashi K, Manabe A, Fukutani M, Wakabayashi M, Sato A, Shoda K, Shimomura M, Mizuno S, Nakamoto Y, Nakatsura T. Efficacy of the NCCV Cocktail-1 vaccine for refractory pediatric solid tumors: A phase I clinical trial. Cancer Sci, 110:3650-3662, 2019