Annual Report 2019

Section of Experimental Animals

Yoshikatsu Koga, Kimie Iijima, Taeko Aruga, Rie Takeshita, Mutsumi Iwabuchi

Introduction

 The basic and translational research undertaken in the Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center (EPOC) and the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE) is aimed toward future clinical use. To develop anti-cancer drugs based on a novel concept or a novel imaging technology, animal experiments are necessary. Not only cell line derived xenograft (CDX) models in which human cancer cells are transplanted into immunodeficient mice, but also spontaneous cancer models using genetically modified mice and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models using human cancer tissue which are reproduced the cancer microenvironment, are used in the animal facility of the EPOC. Development of novel surgical and endoscopic instruments using experimental pigs is also conducted in the animal facility. The Section of Experimental Animals supports the animal experiments conducted in the EPOC and the NCCHE.

The Team and What We Do

• Health management of experimental animals and maintenance of animal laboratories.
  - Animal-breeding rooms: specific pathogen-free (SPF) rooms (eight rooms for mice and one room for rats), conventional rooms (one room for mice, one room for rats and rabbits, and one room for pigs), and P2 animal laboratory.
• Approval of animal experiments and gene recombinant experiments in accordance with the regulations.
  - In FY2019, 55 studies involving animal experiments and 31 studies with gene recombinant experiments were approved by the Committee of Experimental Animals and Gene Recombination.

Education

 All researchers and doctors who use animal facilities are required to attend a lecture on animal experiments according to the Guideline of Animal Experiments every year. In FY2019, 177 researchers or doctors attended the educational lecture.

Future prospects

 The Section of Experimental Animals will support animal experiments conducted in the EPOC and the NCCHE.

List of papers published in 2019

Journal

1. Koga Y, Ochiai A. Systematic Review of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models for Preclinical Studies of Anti-Cancer Drugs in Solid Tumors. Cells, 8:418. doi: 10.3390/cells8050418, 2019

2. Tsumura R, Manabe S, Takashima H, Koga Y, Yasunaga M, Matsumura Y. Evaluation of the antitumor mechanism of antibody-drug conjugates against tissue factor in stroma-rich allograft models. Cancer Sci, 110:3296-3305. doi: 10.1111/cas.14146, 2019

3. Koganemaru S, Kuboki Y, Koga Y, Kojima T, Yamauchi M, Maeda N, Kagari T, Hirotani K, Yasunaga M, Matsumura Y, Doi T. U3-1402, a Novel HER3-Targeting Antibody-Drug Conjugate, for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer. Mol Cancer Ther, 18:2043-2050. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-19-0452, 2019

Book

1. Koga Y, Tsumura R, Matsumura Y. Preclinical Studies of ADC Therapy for Solid Tumors. In: Matsumura Y, Tarin D (eds), Cancer Drug Delivery Systems Based on the Tumor Microenvironment, Tokyo, Springer Japan, pp 125-154, 2019