Annual Report 2020

Division of Supportive Care Research

Yasuhito Uezono

Introduction

 In 2015, the Division of Supportive Care Research started its activities in the Exploratory Oncology Research & Clinical Trial Center (EPOC), aiming at innovative research on unmet medical needs for the purpose of developing new analgesics specializing in supportive and palliative care. In 2020, the Supportive Care Project succeeded this project. We are focusing on the field of preclinical research and development and are conducting research on bridging the clinical practice of new analgesic drugs for improving the QOL of cancer patients.

Research activities

 In 2020, we proceeded with research and development of the following the new seed and biomarkers.

1) Development of "the new pain-killer compound X", which can remove oral pain without changing the texture and taste of food for cancer patients with severe painful stomatitis, supported intellectually and financially by the Project Promoting Support for Drug Discovery from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). The compound was licensed out to the pharmaceutical company Maruho Co., Ltd. in 2021, and is being prepared for the First in Human (FIH) clinical trial (scheduled to start in 2022) with the company.

2) Development of novel biomarkers that predict dexmedetomidine-refractory delirium in cancer patients during and after surgical operations. This project is supported by the Practical Research for Innovative Cancer Control of the AMED. We found several novel biomarkers that predict the onset of delirium itself, have completed patent applications, and are currently approaching companies for collaborative development.

Future Prospects

 With the novel seeds we discovered, we will propose and innovate novel therapeutics in this Project and license them out, to improve the QOL in patients experiencing cancer pain, cancer cachexia, and symptoms not relieved by the drugs currently available.

List of papers published in 2020

Journal

1. Miyano K, Ohbuchi K, Sudo Y, Minami K, Yokoyama T, Yamamoto M, Uzu M, Nonaka M, Shiraishi S, Murata H, Higami Y, Uezono Y. A novel method for evaluating activity of transient receptor potential channels using a cellular dielectric spectroscopy. J Pharmacol Sci, 143:320-324, 2020